So Random Falls
by AnotherDarnApple
Summary: With the recent hike in So Random's popularity, Mackenzie Falls is getting some hating of their own. Now, with a new scheme up his sleeve, CDC plans on introducing a bit of The Falls drama into the lives of So Random, with dire consequences. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:**

**So this is my first SWAC fic, and my first fanfiction in six years :o Just a few notes for my readers: I am very particular with trying not to make my characters not too one-dimensional, and I tend to give minor characters thicker parts to flesh them out a bit. So if this fic isn't all Channy-centric as some of you guys would prefer, please don't kill me x_x. There'll be a lot of Channy to go around a bit later, so don't worry.**

**Also, when I write, I try to make it seem as into the series as possible. I try to write people's conversations as they would say them, so if some of the dialogue seems shallow, that's because they talk that way in the series. This is what fanfiction is for, building around an already established character. Don't fret though, I'm adding my own little touch to their characters.**

**Rated T just in case.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC or any of the characters in SWAC. Nor do I own their real-life celebrity counterparts. Although I do admit that owning Sterling Knight would be a blast.**

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Things weren't going the way they used to down at Condor Studios. Chad and the rest of the Mackenzie Falls cast, having been driven into a wall by So Random's new found popularity were getting a whole lot of trash talk from their director, not to mention Mr. Condor. How could last night's ratings have gone down so low?

Blame it on So Random's Garlic Festival Special - they were targeting specials on holidays nobody even knew existed, and to their advantage, and The Falls' great annoyance, it was working. As long as So Random kept coming up with new gimmicks and sketches together, and as long as they kept up with their buddy-buddy atmosphere, they were sure to catch the eyes of even more viewers.

Slowly, but surely, Mackenzie Falls' ratings had gone down quite a bit after the second reappearance of Chad's evil twin and Portlyn's mother who had just come out of a comatose. Frankly, the viewers were getting tired of all the meaningless drama and unnecessary flamboyant throwing around of money and social status. They were in the midst of a recession for heaven's sake, and So Random provided the viewers with a more down to earth alternative. Right about now, their ratings were right about, dare I say it, on the same level as that of So Random, and the repercussions of which were duly felt by both sides of the studio.

"I told you making Mackenzie's Yacht sink in episode 512 was a bad idea." Portlyn said, exasperated with the food in front of her. Since the Falls' recent drop in ratings, their 5 star food had been downgraded to nothing more than 4-and-a-half star food, and the cast was not liking it. "Now the viewers think we're a bunch of snooty rich kids with nothing better to do with our lives than to party. People aren't biting the drama-bait anymore you guys."

"Actually Portlyn, we _are_ a bunch of snooty rich kids. Or at least we _play_ snooty rich kids." Chad said with a tinge of confidence that shouldn't have been there given their current predicament. "And there's nothing wrong with a party or two. The problem, my dear friends, lies with the Randoms."

"Stupid Randoms and their Garlic Festival." Portlyn threw here cocktail shrimp at the nearest target, which just so happened to be the back of Grady's head.

"Oww! What was that for!?" Grady turned around to find shrimp clinging to the back of his shirt, "Hey! Shrimp! Thanks mysterious food thrower!"

"Ugh, this is hopeless. No matter what we throw at them, they still come back with a vengeance." Portlyn leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms, dejected, "So ring leader, what're you gonna do about it? You've been awfully tolerant these past few days."

"I don't really know. Master plans don't just grow on trees you know." Chad picked up a spoon and reexamined his reflection, just to see a reflection of Nico and Sonny walking into the cafeteria. A tinge of jealousy hit him right then and there.

Nico and Sonny had been getting unusually close these past few days. Starting with the revelation of their mutual love for monster truck rallies, they had gone on more than one occasion for purely platonic dates, which surprisingly did not include either Tawni, Grady or Zora.

The So Random cast didn't really complain much, Grady had taken interest in a new hobby – Ant farming, and with Zora's help, had plans to create an Ant army that would take over the world! Not that anybody knew about that.

As far as everybody was concerned, the So Random cast was expanding their boundaries and horizons, and it was doing them a whole lot of good.

"Did you guys ever notice how close Nico and Sonny were getting?" Chad asked as nonchalantly as he could, still pretending to examine his reflection on the spoon "I-I mean, weren't Nico and that Grady guy tied by the hip or something?"

Portlyn and the rest of the cast turned around to see what Chad was going on about. "Oh, that? Tawni says they're just friends with a lot of common interests, and from what I hear, Nico's got a _huge_ crush on Tawni. And apparently, Tawni has a crush on him too. So much juice for such a boring show." She turned back to Chad, "Since when do _you_ care? And since when did you start remembering Random's names?"

"Since when did _you_ start cavorting with Tawni?" Chad snapped back defensively, which to his contentment, made Portlyn withdraw into her seat, "I'm just saying. It's unusual."

In an instant, Chad's jealousy turned into scheming intentions, outweighed by the predicament of their recent drop in ratings. Chad eyed the odd couple as they got in line for food. The casual brushing of shoulders, Nico carrying Sonny's tray around – to the untrained eye, they could were signs of nothing more than them being good friends, and Nico being nothing more than a proper gentleman.

But for Chad, master of drama and greatest actor of his generation, he saw more than that – Drama just waiting to happen, and what could be their ticket to get rid of So Random once and for all.

Putting down the spoon, Chad turned back to his cast mates in obvious excitement with his newest scheme. "You guys remember the episode where Portlyn told Mackenzie that his childhood friend Taylor was in love with him, even though it was far from the truth?"

"Duh." Portlyn answered blandly, "That _totally_ ruined their relationship. I mean, Mackenzie just avoided her. Not to mention my character totally started getting jealous of Taylor and well, you know gist of it. Drama, drama, drama. By the end of the episode, Taylor was done for." Rolling her eyes, Portlyn popped a piece of shrimp into her perfectly glossed lips.

"Well, I'm thinking So Random needs a touch of drama in their lives as well." Chad had an evil glint in his eye, "Anyone with me?"

"Chad Dylan Cooper, you are a GENIUS." Portlyn said, suddenly taking a great interest her cocktail shrimp, "Let's give So Random a taste of our _own_ medicine, shall we?"

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That day, The Falls Cast got straight to work. They had tried to break up the Randoms once and had committed the biggest mistake by undermining the power of their friendship. This time, they were going to use their friendship and sensitivity against them and with any luck, The Randoms' little bubble would burst by the end of the week.

Portlyn approached Tawni in the middle of a sketch for their daily compliment and gossip exchange. Tawni and Portlyn were on pretty good terms. Unbeknownst to everybody, Portlyn was Tawni's stunt double back in the day when she was in the Goody Gang, and when Portlyn was still a blonde. They secretly hung out together, and despite all the friction got a pretty good acquaintanceship going between them. But that's all it was – an acquaintanceship – and it was far from being beneath Portlyn to use that acquaintanceship and take advantage of Tawni, and that was exactly what she was planning to do. Anything to get their ratings and 5-star food back.

"Hey Tawns, how's my favorite blonde doing?" She said, giving Tawni her usual backrub.

"Oh hey, Port! Oh God that feels great. Did you hear? So Random's going to be in a commercial!"

"Really, now?" Portlyn said, hiding her jealousy perfectly. She was an actress after all, "Good for you! And you'll never guess what gossip I just dug up from my closet."

Tawni sat up from her seat in excitement, "Ooh, I love your gossip. It's always so… _juicy._ Hit me!"

"Well, I heard that a certain random has a crush on Nico." Portlyn said in an implying tone, whilst continuing to massage Tawni's shoulders with fervent pressure.

"Oh Port, you _know_ I have a crush on Nico, that is such old news."

"Oh no, I didn't mean _you,_ Tawni. Word's going around that Sonny's starting to see Nico as more than just a friend, and apparently she's planning to make a move on him quite soon." Portlyn topped her sentence off with a knuckle rub that sent shivers down Tawni's spine.

"You can't be serious. Sonny would have told me. Right?" Tawni's face was blank, "A-are you positively sure about this?"

"Tawni, when has my gossip ever been wrong? I happen to get my gossip from _very_ reliable sources." Portlyn walked away, leaving Tawni in a state of shock.

Tawni wrung the towel in her hands nervously. "Sonny can't have – she wouldn't." Inside her head, her inner voice taunted her. _You know Munroe. She's all gung ho and ambitious. I wouldn't put it past her to go for Nico. I mean, he's dreamy, and smart, and witty too. _"That… _bitch_!"

By the end of her break, she was convinced that Sonny had a crush on Nico, and even more convinced that she was going to stop her, no matter what it took.

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On the other side of the set, Chad made quick work of Nico.

"Hey! Nico, my man!" He said, giving Nico an awkward high five, "How's it doing, have you seen Sonny around anywhere?"

"Uh, hey Chad." Nico reluctantly returned the high five, "What're you doing here? And no, I haven't seen Sonny. She took a different schedule seeing as she isn't in the sketch."

"Really? I thought you guys would be together, I mean, since you guys seem to be joined by the hip recently. I must say, I'm impressed. Sonny is one great catch." Chad punched Nico's arm in mock-playfulness. He'd been wanting to punch Nico since he heard he'd be taking Sonny out for another truck-rally date.

"Ow! Woah, w-wait, what?" Nico rubbing the spot where Chad had hit him, "Dude, Sonny and I are _just friends_. I mean, she's cute and all, actually, way more than cute, she's hot, but she really isn't my type."

Chad was glad to hear that, he couldn't take a moment more of another guy calling Sonny _hot_. Erasing the thoughts of anybody thinking Sonny Munroe to be hot, Chad proceeded with the task at hand.

"Really? She's been telling everybody you guys were together." He had his puzzled look down so well he could have convinced himself, "She told me you were going out and everything. Dude, I think she's smitten, she's so totally in love with you it's scary. I just assumed since you guys were going out on dates together that-"

"We are _not_ going out together!" Nico stood up from his chair, face was stained with a troubled look, "Sonny likes me? B-but we're just friends. I thought- Wow, his is awkward. What do I tell her?"

"I dunno man, the way you put it, it'd be seriously bad if you broke her heart, I mean, you'd _never_ be able to be friends again." Chad started playing with the ends of his fringe, "Looks like you are in some deep shit."

"Tell me about it." Nico sat back down, rubbing his forehead, looking for any possible way to avoid any conflict. He and Sonny were friends – that was it, he couldn't see her as anything more than a sister and he couldn't bear to break her heart either. "I knew taking her to those rallies was a bad idea. The romantic setting must've been too much."

Chad inwardly laughed at Nico thinking a Monster Truck Rally was in any way romantic. No wonder this guy didn't have a girlfriend. "Well, tell me how dumping Sonny goes. I hope you don't shatter her heart into a million tiny pieces too bad. You know girls and first love. Not to mention, you guys have to see each other _every day." _Giving Nico a small pat on the back Chad walked away, confident in what might just be his best plan yet.

With that, Chad had planted the seed. All he needed to do now was to watch the drama unravel perfectly in front of him. He walked away confidently to meet up with Portlyn and the rest of his cast for a celebratory meditation session, only to bump into the future cause of the downfall of So Random.

"Chad."

"Sonny."

"Cooper."

"Munroe. God you're annoying."

Sonny pushed her way through the towering figure which stood a head taller than she. "If you don't mind, I have a sketch to get to, seeing as So Random's been on a roll lately and The Falls has been in such a slump." Sonny said with a mock-condescending tone. She could never really get the condescending thing down – it wasn't really her style. But for Chad Dylan Cooper, she had to try.

"I wouldn't be so proud just yet. Looks like you're just about to hit the iceberg to your SS So Random." Chad said, ruffling her hair and making as much of a mess of it as he could.

Sonny slapped his hand off her head and salvaged what was left of her perfectly combed hair. "Whatever Chad, I have no idea what you're talking about, and even if I did, I wouldn't care, because nothing in this world can possibly ruin my day. Especially since the current ratings say our show just ate your show for dinner."

"Sure Munroe. Laugh it up while you can. Just don't come crying back to me when it all topples down." Chad walked away with a wave, secretly hoping that somewhere in the midst of all the drama he was planning to cause, she did come back crying to him. That, however, would just be an added bonus.

Sonny shrugged the ominous feeling which greeted her off and made her way onto the set where she saw Tawni and Grady deep in thought.

"Hey guys what's up? Everybody ready for an awesome day of filming?" Sonny was filled with so much enthusiasm that it almost hurt. Tawni got up from her chair and walked away, furious.

"What's wrong with her?" Sonny asked Nico, confused.

"Uh, I dunno. Sorry Sonny, I uh gotta go water my goldfish. Uhm, later." Nico ran away from the set as if his dear life depended on it.

"Water his goldfish? I thought he did that yesterday." Sonny plopped down onto the seat Tawni had previously been sitting on. "What the heck is wrong with everybody today?"

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**Okay, so unlike a lot of fanfics out there, I am not totally eradicating the roles that sketches play in So Random's everyday life. It's fun thinking about sketches that So Random might do, and a Garlic Festival Sketch just seemed so tempting.**

**If you'd like a particular random sketch included in passing (as I'll need a lot of sketches to fill in little gaps in my story) comment and review with some suggestions.**

**Next chapter's already done. I will post it when I have the time to actually proofread -yawn-**

**-AnotherDarnApple**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: (Just had to get this chapter up before Finals)**

**So I noticed my last chapter was about 2000+ words long and this chapter is around that length as well. I've been wondering whether or not that was too short or too long for you guys. I'm all about giving my readers the experience they want without it being too much. If you guys think my chapters are too long or too short, please do tell me.**

**Also, thanks for all the reviews **** It's nice to know that people enjoy my story. I was surprised when all the reviews I got for So Random Falls pretty much said the same thing: to make So Random discover The Falls' plot. I'll be honest though. That did not occur to me at all. Well, at least not this early on in the plot. I plan on milking The Falls' mischief to the absolute max before revealing it to So Random in a very smooth manner. Don't worry, I'm sure the little twists here and there will be quite pleasing.**

**This chapter might be a bit more mature and raunchy than expected. Don't kill me, please. If it's too much, tell me and I'll tone it down. That, or I'll hike up the rating to M :P**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own SWAC. If I did, James Conroy would be in it much more often.**

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Sonny was in her dressing room getting ready for her newest escapade with her newest Monster-Truck buddy Nico. Finally, someone to share her deepest interest in crushing metal and adrenaline with. She'd tried going with Zora once, only to find that was a huge mistake when Zora started taking bets, getting in a whole lot of trouble with some drivers as to what was to be considered a successful bashing – cars getting crushed or trucks bursting into flame. Either way, things did not end well and in the end, Zora'd been banned from the arena indefinitely.

Dropping the last of her props at the prop house, She walked back to her dressing room, sat down on the couch and waited for Nico to come pick her up.

Thirty minutes passed and Nico was a no-show. She fumbled with her phone, contemplating whether or not it would be a good idea to call him right about now. If he didn't come on time, there must've been a good reason. Nico was rarely late, despite all his shenanigans with Grady. Just then, a familiar cowbell rung and made her jump off her seat in surprise.

"It's from Nico." She said to herself, reading the text message out loud, _"Sonny, sry but smth came up. Gonna hv 2 cancel 2day. Dnt w8 up."_

"Just great. Now what?" Sonny was stuck at the studio 'til nine. Nico was her only ride home and she did not find walking home a good way to pass the time. "So much for getting dressed for the occasion."

Looking at herself dejectedly in the mirror, she fumbled with her fine-pressed black-neon t-shirt featuring her favorite monster truck contender the Pussy-Licker. Sonny never really did get why such a threatening high-horsepower vehicle could be associated with innocent little kitty cats, but she loved it all the same.

Deciding it'd be a waste to soil a perfectly usable shirt for next time, she ducked her head under it to remove it, taking her time with it, seeing as she had a whole four hours to burn. As she changed she contemplated the events that had occurred in such a short period of time.

_==============Flashback=================_

Sonny and the cast were just about down to their last sketch of the day. Reaching that point, however, was, not without difficulty. Both Nico and Tawni were acting quite odd to put it frankly. Either Nico was busy eying an imaginary spot of dirt on the ground whenever Sonny was around or Tawny was staring daggers at her while she wasn't looking. The friction and tension was unbearable, not just for Sonny, but for Zora and Grady as well, not having the slightest idea what was going on.

The decision for the final sketch was unanimous when they had decided to go with more adult humor this episode, paying tribute to the working-class men of America with a new sketch entitled _Blue Collar_.

Sonny was playing an overly enthusiastic and busty secretary to a high-powered CEO of a big-shot company, who just happened to be played by Nico. Zora, Grady and Tawni were his quirky employees who couldn't seem to do anything but destroy office equipment, ogle his secretary and spend time in the bathroom respectively. All in all it was a pretty hilarious sketch and all the characters suited everybody quite well. It was supposed to be a blast and a huge laugh, but somewhere along the way, it got ugly.

Sonny looked at herself in the mirror for the last time before going on stage. The costume designer had decided to have some fun with Sonny's latest get up. 10 years of designing ridiculous kiddy outfits had taken its toll and after finding out that he'd get to design something sexy for a change, Fred, the costume designer went all out, pulling all the stops as well as his his patented water bra to supplement Sonny's already banging figure.

"What do you think?" She asked Tawni innocently, playing with her ridiculously sized water-breasts, "These things are actually pretty fun, come Tawni! Look, they bounce!" Sonny giggled at the rather unreal interpretation of her character.

"Oh wow Sonny, you look even more like a slut than you usually do!" Tawni said with a sweet fake smile on her face, fiddling with her own pantsuit, "I'm sure you're having the time of your life, seeing as it's only once in your lifetime you get breasts that count."

"Ouch Tawni, who stuck a pole up _your_ ass?" Sonny said as jokingly as she could, hiding her hurt expression with a laugh. She didn't want to aggravate the already horrid situation. If she knew Tawni well enough, which she did, Tawni was prone to having hissy fits prior to roles she never really wanted. If Sonny played along as well as she could, Tawni's anger would pass and they'd go back to being best frenemies, just like they used to. "You look awesome in that pantsuit Tawni. Purple really brings out your curvature."

"Yeah whatever Sonny." Tawni walked away and started making fake conversation with her makeup artist.

Shrugging in defeat, Sonny walked over to the rest of her cast mates, who were seemingly having as much fun as she was with their new corporate getups.

"Dude, I never knew shoulder pads could make you look so – professional." Grady said, eying Nico's now prominently broad shoulders in admiration.

"I know right, the ladies couldn't possibly resist these babies." Nico said playfully, dusting off his shoulders.

"Oh wow. Nico, you look _awesome_." Sonny complimented him with a glint in her eye, getting into her secretary character, "I can't wait for you to boss me around later." Sonny tried as hard as she could to sound seductive – might as well start practicing now, right?

"Oh, hi Sonny." Nico grew stiff and awkward, "Uh, I gotta go." Next thing they knew, he was gone.

"Sonny, you look _smokin'!"_ Grady traced an imaginary bottle figure in the air, "Fred went all out with you on this one, didn't he?"

"Yeah well, I don't think it suits me. Tawni just called me a slut and Nico didn't seem very keen on doing the sketch with me."

"Aww, don't think about it too much Sonny, she's just jealous. And I doubt Nico's seen anybody half as hot as you are. He's probably just overwhelmed by the transformation." Zora said reassuringly, playing with the bouncy water bra, "I wonder if these would make good water balloons."

"You're probably right Zora. But could you stop it with the probing? It's starting to get a bit awkward."

The familiar ringing of the bell marked the start of the sketch. Hopefully the sketch wouldn't take forever. It was torture having to endure Tawni staring daggers at her and Nico constantly trying to avoid her.

_==============End Flashback=================_

Sonny let out a long sigh of defeat as she plopped onto the couch with only her camisole and jeans. As much as she'd wanted everything to be normal, it just wasn't. It wasn't only in the sketch that things got awkward. Even lunch was a battle. Tawni had "accidentally" spilt her peach mango sherbet on her shirt and Nico had disappeared for the entire lunch completely, which to her dismay did not do much for Tawni's temper.

Why was everybody acting so erratic lately?

Digging through her bag, Sonny pulled out a pair of zebra print headphones with fluffy earcovers and put them on. She plugged them into her mp3 player and shifted through her playlist. Finding her feel-good playlist, she lost herself in the music.

Rummaging through her closet for a more normal shirt to wear, she contemplated actually walking home. As much as she'd hate it, it seemed like her only option at the moment.

Engrossed in finding a shirt that suit her mood for the day, she didn't notice the creaking of the door as Chad Dylan Cooper entered. Fascinated by the scene before him, he sat down on her couch and watched as the brunette went through her clothing, rocking her hips and dancing to the music she was listening to. He had to admit, it was quite sexy.

It amused him how Sonny would just leave her dressing room door open while she changed and it amazed him even more that a girl her age would opt for a camisole instead of a full-fledged bra. Trying to be as discreet as possible he approached the oblivious girl and wrapped his arms around her waist, soliciting a high pitched scream and a jab to the jaw which hurt way more than it looked.

"Ow, Munroe what the heck was that for!?" He screamed at her, clasping his jaw where her elbow had hit him.

"Oh Chad I'm sooooo sorry!" She apologized frantically, searching in her fridge for a coldpack or anything to ease the obvious pain that tainted the actor's face, "I didn't mean to I just- Wait a minute, why am I apologizing why the _hell_ are you in my room!? Were you watching me change!? You big PERVERT!"

"Well thanks for the concern." Chad replied sarcastically, "You seemed so busy I just didn't want to disturb, and besides, your underwear is hardly in any way revealing. Really Sonny, a camisole?"

Sonny threw an icepack at the three-named idiot, hitting him square on the face.

"What were you expecting? Full-blown lingerie? Dream on Chad, there is hardly anybody at Condor Studios worth all the pain and effort."

"Not even me?" Chad said with a mock pout, placing the icepack on his jaw, "But seriously Munroe, you owe me. Especially since I came here to ask you if you wanted a ride. I heard Rainy ditched you."

Sonny put on a blue shirt and a mini-hoodie as Chad tended to his sore jaw. "That's actually pretty sweet of you, Chad, but that does not warrant you being a peeping Tom and sneaking up on me like that."

"Admit it Munroe, you liked it." Chad taunted with a suggestive smirk.

"Well, I have to admit, throwing that icepack at you was pretty fun. Other than that everything you did was still pretty sick." Sonny sat down on the couch and sighed. "I can't believe Nico ditched me. And I can't believe my last resort is a pompous jerk who addresses himself in the third person."

"Woah, woah, woah. Chad Dylan Cooper is not a pompous jerk. If he was, he wouldn't be offering you a ride now would he?" He said in defense to himself, sitting himself down next to the crestfallen comedian, "Hey, I'm sorry, but there's only so much the greatest actor of his generation can do for a sad outcast comedian like yourself."

"Hahaha Chad, very funny. Is this your way of trying to cheer people up? Because it certainly isn't very effective."

"Okay fine, let's try this. What's wrong Sonny? You can tell me anything." He looked into her eyes and gave her the best concerned look that he could muster up. Not that it was all that hard, he truly was concerned for the girl, although he knew he was probably the cause of half the problems in her life.

"You wanna know what's wrong Chad? I'll tell you what's wrong." Sonny stood up and started pacing, "My best friend hates me, she thinks I'm a slut and it's ruining all our sketches. Nico's avoiding me to the point it's becoming ridiculous and I don't even have the slightest idea why. I'm tired, I'm frustrated and all I wanted was to vent it all out with a good day over at the Monster Truck Arena, only for my hopes to crushed by Nico, once again, ditching me. THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG, CHAD DYLAN COOPER."

Sonny was fuming and out of breath and Chad tried his best not to laugh at how much this was affecting her. There was, however, a tinge of guilt stabbing him in the gut for the anguish his little scheme had caused her.

Chad dropped his icepack and pulled Sonny back down to the couch. Sonny was more than willing to prop herself up against his shoulder and she stayed that way for a good ten seconds until another sigh came out of her.

"I'm just so confused Chad. Everything was going fine. What the hell went wrong?" Sonny's eyes were brimming with tears.

Chad looked down to the dismal remnants of what used to be the sunniest member of Condor Studios and the stabbing guilt intensified. At least one good thing came out of all the drama, Sonny _had_ come back crying into his arms, and he was rather enjoying it.

He wrapped his arms around her as she buried her face into the crook of his shoulder, sobbing.

"Usually I'd have you pay for the dry cleaning for my now tear and snot covered coat-jacket, but since I'm_ not_ a pompous jerk and I actually have a heart, amma let you off. Cry all you want Munroe, you deserve it." He tightened his grip on her, wishing this moment would never end.

Her soft sobs were stifled by a tiny giggle. "You're funnier than people give you credit for Chad Dylan Cooper. Maybe you can be my secret cuddle bear. "

"Hey, anything for my little Sonshine." Chad shrugged, trying to hide the excitement building up within him. Sonny Munroe had just granted him permission to be her secret cuddle bear, whatever that was.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes. Sonny snuggled up to Chad and Chad rested his head above hers, enjoying the intoxicating scent of her shampoo. The moment could have gone forever, were it not for Tawni bursting in right then and there.

"You little slut! Couldn't be content with just one man in your life eh?" She stormed out just as quickly as she stormed in.

"Tawni, wait! This isn't what it looks like!", Sonny stood up to chase after her only to be stopped by Chad restraining grasp on her wrist.

"It's not worth it Sonny, she'll cool down once she realizes what an idiot she's being." He said, not wanting Sonny to leave.

"Well that idiot just happens to be one of my best friends. Which is more than I can say about you, Chad." Sonny brushed his hand off hers, "I can't believe I betrayed my friends and went crying into Chad Dylan Cooper's conniving arms. No wonder Tawni's so mad at me."

Sonny ran after Tawni.

"Munroe! If you leave now, I am _so_ not giving you a ride back home!" Chad screamed after her.

Halfway down the hall, Sonny screamed in reply, "I wouldn't take a ride from you if my life depended on it!"

And off she went.

Chad ran his hand through his shaggy blonde hair. "Well, this wasn't in the gameplan."

Chad Dylan Cooper may have signed up for more drama than he bargained for.

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**Hope you enjoyed the back and forth between Sonny and Chad. I absolutely adore their little love-laced arguments. I don't really like it when people write Chad out to be too sweet. There has to be a little bit of animosity in there to keep that love-hate relationship going. Because we all know that's where all the thrill in Channy comes from.**

**Let's just establish that at this point, Chad's view of Sonny is purely instinctual. He admits there's an attraction, and just like his usual selfish self, he thinks that whatever he wants, he'll get, and thinks nothing of the attraction. It's all a game to him.**

**As for Sonny, in this fic at least, she thinks nothing of Chad for the time being. It's not a love-at-first-fight fic like all the others. This way, I'll get to develop their relationship the way I want to. I love playing god. :P**

**So due to my tight schedule I decided to post this chapter up early as I won't be able to update as soon considering I'm having my finals and then my dreaded graduation.**

**Read, Review and Recommend to all your friends! **** Constructive Criticism greatly appreciated. :)**

**-AnotherDarnApple**


	3. Chapter 3 & Bonus Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. I'm still pretty busy even though finals are over because it's clearance week over at school and I have a lot of things to return/file/organize before I graduate. Ohemgee, you're graduating!? You are SO OLD. Yes, I know I'm old, but I'm young enough at heart to enjoy a good Disney series, so leave me in peace.**

**Before we get into the chapter, I'd like to thank you, DariusWOW, for your two wonderful comments. They made my day, seeing as it's been a pretty slow week for me review-wise. Hope you enjoy this next one**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SWAC. I'd give my two arms and a leg to.**

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Grady sat in his and Nico's dressing room, half watching their latest episode of So Random and half tending to his prospering ant farm. Each task, however, was equally distracted by Nico pacing around the room deep in thought.

"Dude, you're giving me a headache here." He said, throwing some popcorn at his best friend, "How am I supposed to concentrate on my little Heaven's Hill Ant Farm and the Blue Collar sketch with you pacing around like that? I swear, the rate you're going I wouldn't be surprised if a mini tornado formed on your trail."

Nico sat down, nerves wound up into a little ball just waiting to burst.

"I know you're excited for the So Random commercial, I mean, I'm nervous too but there are better ways to vent your frustration, my brah. Like anthills and caramel popcorn!" Grady nudged the bowl of sugary goodness against Nico's arm.

"Sorry man, but this isn't a problem that can be solved by anthills or caramel popcorn" Nico let out a sigh.

"Can't be solved by anthills or caramel popcorn!? Blasphemy!" Grady hit pause on the TV and shook Nico out of his reverie, "You're talking madness, man!"

Nico shrugged Grady's grasp on him off and lay down against the foot of their room-wide sofa. "Sonny's been running through my mind all day."

"Sonny? You mean _our_ Sonny? Sonny Munroe?" Grady nearly choked on a piece of caramel corn. "You're kidding right? You have a crush on Sonny Munroe!? I thought it was Tawni! Make up your mind, man!"

"Dude, I don't have a crush on her! She has a crush on me!" Nico threw his hat off in the midst of his bewilderment, "She's like a sister to me, I can't just think of her that way, you know that."

Grady wiped an imaginary drop of sweat of his forehead, "For awhile there, I thought you were going all CDC on me." That comment stung Nico for some unknown reason, "But you gotta admit, it's pretty flattering to have a girl like Sonny have a crush on you. I mean, she's hot."

"Way beyond hot Grady, you saw her this morning, she was _smokin'._" Nico could not believe those words were coming out of his mouth

"Well yeah, Fred did some real touching up on her. Even without all the makeup and water bras she's still pretty decent." Grady said, examining the TV screen, which just so happened to pause exactly on a shot of Sonny, "I mean, she has pretty hair, and those amazing deep brown eyes. She's really been starting to blossom lately if you ask me."

Grady turned to Nico, who seemed to be even deeper in thought that before, "Not that I really noticed before. Man, I didn't think she was really into guys yet. I mean, not until now. You're pretty lucky brah, she's one great catch."

Nico rubbed his forehead annoyed, "Yeah, Chad said that too. I mean, she's alright. She's pretty, and when she dressed herself up, she almost looks… sexy." He looked up at the TV screen once more, examining Sonny's every feature. "I never really noticed before, but Sonny has a really pretty smile."

Grady looked at the screen, then at Nico, then at the screen and at Nico again. "You know, you guys would make a really good couple. I mean, I know you got a crush on Tawni and all that crap, but Sonny is much more down to earth and less high-maintenance." Grady took handful of caramel popcorn and stuffed it into his face.

"I know, but I don't have a crush on Sonny." Nico leaned up from his seat and plopped back down. "Or at least I think I don't."

"Ohoho, is my main man starting to see the light?" Grady teased, nudging his best friend, "Well, if you are, you have my full support. Sonny's a great girl. Where else will you find someone as into Monster Cars as you are?"

"They're _Monster Trucks. _And yeah, she is pretty amazing." Nico said to himself, smiling and unwrinkling his brows for the first time today, "I think amma ask her out on a date. On a _real_ date. Thanks man."

"No problemo. You sure you don't want any caramel corn?" Grady said, handing the bowl over whilst sitting up.

"Nah, I'm good. More than good. I'm great. Amazing." Nico smiled, staring at the still shot of Sonny on the TV screen.

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Chad got home that night with a heavy weight on his shoulders. He had waited forever in Sonny's dressing room in the hopes that she'd come back and take up his offer for a ride home, only to wait two whole hours for nothing. She never came, and he drove home, regretful and disappointed.

"Sonny Munroe did _not_ just ditch the greatest actor of this generation. What the _hell_ is this world coming to!?"

He collapsed, dead beat on his bed, expressing his dissatisfaction with the situation at hand with an audible grunt. Grabbing the remote on his side table, he turned on his flat-screen TV, suspended on his ceiling. He lay there, surfing through channels until he came upon a channel screening the latest episode of So Random.

It wasn't like he watched their show regularly. He just happened to come by some episodes before and it just so happened that the episodes he did watch were quite amusing. It really _was_ the opposite of Mackenzie Falls in all ways imaginable, and as he lay on his bed watching, he couldn't help but feel a sense of calm come over him. That is until he saw what was on his screen.

He stared up at his ceiling in awe, not just because Sonny was on, but mainly because of what she was wearing. She was sitting on an office desk seductively, skirt hiked up way past her thigh, bending over to show a hefty amount of cleavage. At once, an uncomfortable tightness greeted the young actor in his pants. Sonny's get-up left little to the imagination. Her eyes were bordered with some sexy thick-framed glasses and her red lips glossed to perfection, pursed in a manner that could leave any guy moaning, Chad Dylan Cooper included.

And there Chad Dylan Cooper was, moaning at the mere sight of her. He was glad he was on his bed. He wouldn't be able to stand seeing as his legs would've given way at the sight of her. Was this the right show? That couldn't be Sonny. He double checked the channel, and only when Nico came on screen in a corporate suit was Chad Dylan Copper convinced that this was indeed So Random he was watching.

What were they _doing_ over there at So Random? And why hadn't anybody warned him about their sudden image change? This meant bad things for Mackenzie Falls and their viewership ratings if So Random caught the eye of the older audiences. But right now Chad was too preoccupied with the scene on his TV screen to care.

Sonny had just dropped some papers off her desk and bent over to pick them up, showing the audience a pretty good view of her legs and lower extremities. Chad groaned inwardly in both pleasure and discomfort. What was comedic about this?

Right then and there, Grady, Tawni and Zora came in, messing up the office and driving Nico into the roof. Chad laughed. There ya go. He'd thought So Random had surrendered their clown shoes for a pair of S&M stilettos.

Lost in his reverie of laughter, he was not prepared for the next scene he was about to see. In the midst of the entire hullabaloo in the office, Sonny's secretary character was pushed onto the lap of her boss, Nico's character.

There Sonny was, sitting on his lap, Nico displaying a more than hilarious goofy expression. Any normal person would have burst into laughter right then and there, heck any normal person would have been in tears by now considering how funny it was. But Chad Dylan Cooper was not _any normal person._ Chad Dylan Cooper did not find this amusing at all. Who _wrote_ this sketch? And why was Sonny sitting, scantily clad, on Nico's lap?

Sonny's raunchy display on national television beat her kiss cam incident with Hayden by a mile and Chad was not pleased, not pleased at all.

He turned the TV off in rage and grabbed his phone, dialing Sonny on speed dial.

One ring.

Two rings.

"_Damnit Munroe, pick up."_ He swore to himself silently.

Three rings.

_Click_

"Sonny Munroe, you've got a lot of explaining to do-"

"What do you want Chad?" Sonny's tone was much less than friendly and her tone zoned Chad out of his mindless rage, making him forget why he was mad in the first place.

"U-uh, I was just watching your stupid show and then I remembered - I was just checking to see if you got home safe. So… did you get home safe?" Chad was at a loss for words. He'd have to put off the scolding until tomorrow, when she was calmer and let's see, not in a fit of rage that might just cost him his head.

"Oh, so Mister Chad Dylan Cooper finally gives my show the time of day."

"W-w-what!? Chad Dylan Cooper so does _not_ care. Pfft, FYI, I just came on the phone to tell you what a great ride I had on my way home – top down, wind blowing in my hair, wonderful view of the hills. Too bad you had to miss it, Ms. Ditcher."

"I couldn't care less, Chad, and since we're all into letter-speak right now - BTW," Sonny enunciated the letters with extreme emphasis, "I got home just fine, thank you. I had to walk a few miles uphill and my feet are killing me, but it beats getting in a car with a conceited jerkface like you." Sonny spat back at him. It stung.

"Look, I'm sorry Sonny, but I really didn't do anything wrong. I just sat there, remember? You're the one who went all mondo crazy and stormed out the door." Chad said to his defense. He rolled over onto his belly on his bed, fiddling with his pillow and burying his face into it whilst waiting for Sonny's reply.

"Well I- If you weren't- I just- Ugh, I give up."

_Silence_

"Sonny?

"I'm sorry Chad, okay?" Sonny said softly, her voice breaking a little, "I admit, that was way irrational of me. I just… needed someone to pin the blame on. I have no idea why this is all happening. I just needed things to make sense. And pinning everything on you seemed like the best idea at the time. I know it's stupid."

There it was, that pang of guilt jabbed heavily into Chad's heart once more.

"It's fine Sonny. Did you get to talk to Tawni about it?" Chad asked, his voice just as soft as Sonny's had been. Half of him hoped her answer would be yes, meaning everything would be okay, and half of him hoped the answer would be no, meaning he'd still be her shoulder to lean on.

"No."

Chad's inner demon rejoiced.

"She won't even take my calls. I've been redirected to her mailbox every time. I've left about a hundred messages, Chad. I have no idea what else to do." Chad could hear soft sobbing from the other end of the line.

"Do you want me to come over?" Chad said hopefully, "I can bring over some feel-good movies and popcorn. Or will that count as 'betraying your friends', because I could always have my driver send them over. I'd be glad to stay away." Chad smiled to himself, he tried to be as humorous as possible. With Sonny, the trick was to get her to laugh.

An airy chuckle of slight exasperation came out of his cell phone.

"Chad, I'm so over that betrayal crap. The rate things are going, I doubt anybody really cares anymore."

"So is that a yes?" Chad smiled to himself, sitting up from his bed.

"It's a yes. Just make sure you bring extra buttery popcorn. I'm in a binging mood."

"Be there in fifteen. And BTW, I knew you couldn't resist me."

"Just bring the popcorn, Chad."

Chad got up, grabbed his DVD case and sprinted for the kitchen, grabbing three packs of blast-o-butter popcorn and made his way for his car.

Chad made a fist pump right before he got into his car and drove like a maniac to Sonny's apartment.

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**You can probably tell that I have a craving for popcorn right now, and the multiple appearances of popcorn are a subtle manifestation of my irrational craving (lol). So this chapter is much shorter than the others. Actually, it was supposed to be much LONGER than the others, but I split it into two because too much in one chapter is a bit of a turn off.**

**Don't fret my dear readers, because this chapter is so short, you guys can scroll down a little bit more for a little bonus chapter. In anime lingo we call them fillers. They have nothing to do with the plot but are there to flesh out minor characters a bit more. If you're here for the Channy and the Drama you don't have to read ahead, as the bonus chapter is basically a oneshot of Grady, Zora and their escapades while all this drama is happening amidst them. If you DO like Grady and Zora I suggest you stop reading this Author's Note and go right ahead and scroll down.**

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**Bonus Chapter – Grady and Zora: Of Water Balloons and Anthills**

Grady put the final touches on his elaborately designed yet ill-conceived ant utopia. After having decided that a 12 by 12 inch plastic box was hardly enough for his growing ant army, he got into converting half of his and Nico's dressing room into an ant fun park. He wasn't really concerned as to whether or not Nico would approve, he was rarely here anyway, what with the ever increasing time he spent with Sonny. He respected Nico for that. As immature as people thought he and Nico were, they were pretty mature about each other's pursuits and respected each other's decisions; that's what made them best buds in the first place.

As he lined each elaborately decked out pile of ant-dust with a makeshift water moat (which was actually just trails of water) to ensure none of his ants would lose their way against the vast utopia, he couldn't help but imagine how awesome it would be if his ants started developing a social system of their own. Heck, for all he knew, his ants already considered him a deity. He chuckled to himself, escalating the intakes of breath into a full-blown evil laugh.

Zora entered just in time to see the odd scene playing by before her. "Okay, someone just hit the jackpot in the loony lottery". She rolled her eyes and sat down, fumbling with something in her bag.

"Oh, hey Zora, I was just practicing my tyrant laugh. It'll come pretty handy when I finish Antopia. So what do you think so far?" he stood up, crossing his arms and smiling in pride.

"Meh, it needs some touching up here and there, you need to build it up from the diaphragm more."

"I wasn't talking about my laugh, I was talking about Antopia. But thanks for the tip, I'll try that next time." He sat down beside her and looked at what she was fumbling with.

"You made your dressing room into a giant anthill? Oh, so that's what those giant piles of dirt are for." She smiled and nodded, thinking of the benefits Grady's new pastime entailed, "But what are those trails of water for?"

"Oh they're to keep my little ants from losing their way – ants can't swim!" He explained confidently, "It doubles as a safety precaution though. The whole studio would be in a frenzy if my ants got out."

"Well I doubt a few ants would cause a commotion." Zora fiddled a bit more with her bag, putting the final touches into her own little mini-project.

"Oh they aren't just _a few_ ants Zora, I had a few thousand shipped in from the pet store!" Grady wiggled in his seat in his childish excitement, "But don't worry, they can't escape the power of my mighty water moats!" Grady let out a deep-throated laugh.

"What do you call_ that_ then?" Zora pointed to a little gap in the water moats he laid out, where ants slowly trickled out in an orderly-fashioned line.

"MY MINIONS!" Grady ran to the gap in a panic, "Zora! Do something!"

Zora finally pulled out the object she was fumbling with in her bag to reveal what looked to be the remnants of Sonny's water bra, except filled to the brim with water, "FIRE IN THE HOLE!" she threw the water-loaded cartridge at the gap, causing it to explode into what could only be described as a flood of ant-kind doom.

It was a very dramatic scene – all you needed was a bit of slow motion here and there and a dramatic sound clip or two and there wouldn't be much of a difference from the events unfolding an a 90's war film.

The water blocked the gap off, but also killed a few hundred of Grady's ants in the process.

"YES! I knew Sonny's water bra would make good water balloons!" Zora giggled to herself.

Grady knelt, disconsolate at the fate of his poor ants; they didn't know any better. "Zora, you fiend!"

"Hey, it was either that or the whole studio waking up to ant bites in the morning." She shrugged it off and sat down on the nearest couch.

Grady hung his head low as he performed some damage control, sniffing and stifling sobs as he did.

"Don't worry you guys, you did not die in vain."

The next day, Zora and Grady conducted a private funeral for the 473 ant soldiers (yes, they counted) that died that fateful day. But nobody would ever know that. It was Zora and Grady's little secret.

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**Okay, so that's it for this chapter. Please tell me in your reviews if you enjoyed the bonus chapter, or if you think I should just stick to the plot and stop with the mini-chapters.**

**Read and Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews so far. I really enjoy it when people comment on my stories. Even though I don't get a lot of reviews, the few that I do get encourage me to keep writing in the hopes that the story gets good enough to deserve to be commented on.**

**I got generally positive feedback on the little filler I did last chapter, so I might be doing those a bit more in the future. As for this chapter, it's purely plot related, and I can confidently say I had a blast writing this chapter, and I hope it shows. So I hope you enjoy it as well.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC. If I did, its second season would have premiered last February 14.**

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Chad pulled to a sharp stop in front of an average looking condominium. Actually, it wasn't average at all. It was pretty posh in its own right, but being the rich successful actor that he was, to Chad Dylan Cooper, anything looked average in comparison to his mansion. Chad parked his car in a shady corner beside the building, just in case deranged fans had memorized his plate number and came looking. It wouldn't be the first time that happened, and he'd rather it not happen now, right on the night that might just make his year.

This apartment complex was different from the one Sonny had originally made her home of, different from the apartment whose door Chad totally wrecked. The recent skyrocketing of ratings didn't just bring better food on the Random's table (in the expense of The Falls, of course), but it also gave them a hefty increase of salary – just enough for Sonny and her mom to afford a newer, less, as Tawni would put it, poor-looking flat.

The unusually nervous Chad pushed the buzzer beside the glass door entrance of the large apartment complex. He did so a few times too many apparently, judging by the annoyed tone Sonny used to answer on the telecom.

"Chad, I know buzzers and doorbells must be pretty exciting for you considering you have a doorman attend to all your guests, but you don't have to go all crazy with the buzzing." Sonny's voice on the receiver, despite its cheesed off tenor, had a calming effect on the boy, though he couldn't help but notice airiness of her voice. "I'm opening the door up. Take the elevator three floors up and I'm on the first door to the left."

A minute later and he was in front of Sonny's door, knocking.

"Hey." She greeted softly with a sad-happy smile. Wet strands of hair framed her pale face. She had just been in the shower. _Which meant that when she was on the telecom she had just got out of the bathroom, _Chad deliberated, thinking back to the airiness of her shook any inappropriate thoughts out of his head.

"Password?" Sonny demanded.

"I bring offerings of popcorn and sappy DVDs. Chad Dylan Cooper doesn't need a stupid password." Chad smirked as Sonny laughed and let him in. "Nice hair by the way."

Sonny buried her face in her palm, smiling and trying to hide the blush on her face at the same time. She hardly had any time to dry her hair considering the minuscule amount of time Chad had taken to get to her apartment. "If someone wasn't such an eager beaver-" She pulled her hair up into a messy clamp, following after Chad.

A few steps in and Chad was overwhelmed by the smell of what he could only describe as pure Sonny. Taking in the room in front of him was almost surreal. It was immaculately neat, with a few drawings and potted plants scattered neatly to add to the feel of the interior. So this is what a girl's apartment looked like; he hadn't really noticed with her last one. That one looked more like an old-folk's home than an apartment.

"Well, well, it's not as bad as I'd imagined. I half expected to be greeted by blinding yellow walls and fluffy pink carpets." Chad said jokingly, dropping the DVDs on a nearby coffee table and giving himself a tour of Sonny's apartment.

"You _do_ know you just described my dressing room right?"

"And so?

"You basically just insulted Tawni and my sense of interior design." She laughed.

"And I reiterate. So?"

Sonny smiled and gave up, following him around as he helped himself to exploring the rest of the flat.

There were three bedrooms: two bedrooms which seemed well-used and another which was set aside as a guestroom/workout area. There was another room to the end of the studio living room but it looked like it was locked. The kitchen looked like any old kitchen; it had been recently used apparently, judging by the empty cups of ramen sitting in the sink. Pictures of Sonny, her friends and her mother were splayed out on the walls of the apartment. Chad smiled.

Taking a last look around, Chad noticed the shoe rack beside the door. He had already expected to see Sonny's shoes and of course a few pairs which looked to belong to her mother. But two pairs of shoes bothered him. They were men's shoes. A slightly battered up pair of sneakers and some old leather dress shoes.

"Whose shoes are those?" Chad asked with a hint of curiosity and jealousy.

Sonny turned around to see what he was talking about. "Those? My mom rents out the extra room to boarders for extra money. He's been here since I came to LA, but I haven't actually met him, or seen him. Apparently, he runs on a whole different timeframe and he's rarely home anyway. Mysterious, huh?"

Chad nodded slowly, making his way to the couch, still eying the mysterious pairs of shoes. "And your mom? She's okay with me being here? Couldn't wait for her daughter to be alone in a room with the famous Chad Dylan Cooper, could she?" Chad laid back and propped his feet up on the coffee table.

"Stop being so full of yourself, Chad. Keep in mind, I can kick you out any time I want to." Sonny threatened ineffectively as shoved his feet off the table and grabbed the popcorn to prepare.

"That's if you can _make_ me." Chad smiled and sat up, flexing his well toned arm muscles. "I could probably kick _you_ out of your own apartment if I wanted to."

Sonny laughed.

"Seriously though, if my mom's okay with a male boarder staying over, I'm sure she'll be okay with a male friend coming over." Sonny opened a pack of popcorn and popped it in the microwave.

"So what, we're friends now Munroe?"

"Well, I wouldn't say _friends_ exactly." Sonny contemplated the question, setting the microwave on the right time setting for popcorn. She took out some glasses and poured a generous amount of soda into each of them. "More like acquaintances with benefits."

Chad coughed and sat up at Sonny's terminology. "E-excuse me Munroe? I totally get why I'd be of any benefit to you, but of what benefit are _you_ to me? I'll have you know I'm here out of pure compassion and goodwill."

"Wow Chad, thanks for reminding me that I'm just a charity case to you." Sonny laughed and sat down next to him on the couch, handing him a glass whilst paying mind to the number of pops per minute, "You get my company. Isn't that enough of a benefit to ya?"

"Well you do make a good notch on my post." Chad looked at her, raising his eyebrows. Sonny glared at him in return. "I'm kidding, Sonny. I enjoy your company and being acquaintances with benefits sounds nice. No strings attached. Very… my style."

There was a semi-awkward moment of silence. They sat there and stared at each other. If it weren't for the popping noises their snack was making in the background, it would have made a pretty romantic movie scene. Not that either of them really noticed.

Sonny sat up and shifted through Chad's DVD collection surprised that he didn't just bring DVDs of Mackenzie Falls. "I thought you only watched yourself?" Sonny asked, laughing a bit.

"I also watch movies which I auditioned for. Even if I didn't get the part, at least I can laugh at how bad the movie was without yours truly." A cocky smile was splayed all over his face, expecting Sonny to be charmed.

"So you're expecting me to believe that you auditioned for an adult movie?" She pulled out a DVD from the booklet sleeve and examined it, cocking her eyebrow in disbelief.

Chad snatched the movie from her hand and hid it in the back pocket of his leather jacket. "H-how did that get there?" Chad laughed nervously, "You saw nothing."

The squinted glare he gave her told her that he was serious and it would be better if she just played along, "Whatever you say Chad." She laughed.

She flipped through the rest of his DVD case and pulled out one that particularly caught her eye, "The Chaos Theory? I love this movie. A lot of people hated it though. I didn't think you'd audition for something so… well, not you."

"I read the script and pretty much fell in love with it. They didn't have a part for me though, but I ended up buying the DVD still. It did pretty bad without me, but still- Living life on the line; it's exciting isn't it?"

"I guess we have our movie then." Sonny smiled and slipped the DVD into the player. She was about to stand to get the popcorn out of the microwave when Chad held her down.

"I'll do it. I've seen this movie about a hundred times and I doubt you'd want to miss the opening scenes."

Sonny smiled and sat back down. Chad could be a sweetheart if he wanted to.

Chad made his way to the kitchen and took the bag of popcorn from the microwave. He emptied into the bowl Sonny had laid out and refilled his cup of soda. He was on his way back to the living room when the soft sound of mooing distracted him.

He looked toward the couch to see if Sonny had noticed. She was too engrossed in the movie to notice that she had left her phone on the kitchen counter.

Chad made his way to the mooing contraption and eyed the caller ID out of curiosity. It was Nico. He put the bowl down and reached for the phone, contemplating whether or not he should give it to Sonny, answer it or just decline the call entirely.

Needless to say, Chad's conscience wasn't the most angelic in the world, and yet again, his inner demon got the best of him. He pressed receive on the phone screen and listened intently.

"Hey Sonny?" Nico's voice came in a loud boom from the speaker.

_Silence_

"Sonny, I know you're mad. I'm glad you even answered the phone. Sorry for ditching you."

_More silence_

"So… I was wondering. D'you wanna go on a date Saturday night? I know I've been a jerk, and I know you have a crush on me I just-"

_Click._

Chad Dylan Cooper was not hearing any more of this sorry excuse for a date invitation. How had Rainy developed an interest in Sonny in such a short amount of time? He'd factored in the possibility of his induced drama severing ties between the So Random cast, not fostering petty crushes between them.

No way _in hell_ was he letting Nico take Sonny out on a date. She was his new plaything, and Chad Dylan Cooper did not enjoy sharing. Chad Dylan Cooper had every intention of milking out this drama and making it last. At least until So Random was done for and he could have Sonny join them over at The Falls. Then she'd be his plaything 24/7.

"Chad, you okay in there?" Sonny called out from the sofa.

"Yeah, just letting the popcorn air out. We don't want your living room smelling like butter now do we?"

Chad typed a quick text in reply to the pathetic call, "_You broke my heart. Leave me alone"_ and pressed send. Deleting Sonny's call and message history, he smiled at his genius. He turned off Sonny's phone and sauntered back to the living room, planting himself right next to Sonny. That was the last time he'd be hearing from him.

He handed the bowl over to her. "What'd I miss?"

"Oh, we're on the scene where she's asking them to name their uhm… you know."

"You can say it if you want to, Sonny. It's not like it's a bad word or anything."

Sonny threw some popcorn at him, "Just watch the movie Chad."

Chad smiled and laughed inwardly as he contemplated how Sonny couldn't even say the word 'penis'.

He stretched out his hand behind her head laying it down on the recline of the sofa's back rest. Sonny nestled her head into the crook of his shoulder, laying the bowl of popcorn between them. Somewhere in the middle of the movie, they both reached down to the bowl at the same time, touching hands and sending shivers down each other's spine. They retracted their hands quickly and Chad made it a point to inform Sonny how clammy her hands were.

"You're nervous around me aren't you?" he taunted, raising his eyebrows.

"Pfft, I am not. I thought there was a worm in the bowl. Your fingers _were_ sorta slimey."

"Sure Monroe."

They sat through the rest of the movie in silence. The movie was just like them – a compromise between comedic, but utterly dramatic events. It was so well played that despite bad reviews, anybody with a heart would be captured.

As the movie went on, the arm that was around Sonny slowly shifted down to pull her closer to Chad's body and Sonny showed no signs of complaint as it happened. As they watched series of comedic events unfold before them, Chad played with the loose strands of hair that had come undone from her clamp, running them through his fingers. They felt like doll's hair under his course finger tips and he began to wonder if she had been fashioned to look like porcelain.

With the lights dim and the light from the TV shining on her pale skin, she looked just like a porcelain doll, thick eyelashes lining the lids of what were now closed eyes, deep in slumber. Whoever her father was, he and her mother had won the genetic lottery with her being brought into life. It seemed almost rigged.

He turned his eyes back to the TV to take in the scene in front of him. The main character had just made up with his wife and scene trickled into the final reels with him watching his daughter get married.

As much as this movie tried to show that despite all the chaos in relationships, love prevailed, Chad wasn't a firm believer in the emotion. He never actually felt the emotion and chances were slim that he ever would. He would never get married, never have children, never have to watch them walk down the aisle and never have to deal with all the problems that came with a stable relationship. To put it simply, the mere thought of a committed relationship turned him off completely, which was the cause of more than one break up in his teen life. He didn't like commitment, and as much as he loved a girl's company, wasn't really motivated to go all out for one.

The setting that he and Sonny had arranged for themselves – acquaintances with benefits – seemed like the perfect compromise to him. No strings attached, nothing to look back on and no responsibility. No girl had provided him with that option, and he had liked the freedom that Sonny had afforded him. He would enjoy this and he would enjoy it thoroughly. And if enjoying that relationship meant severing all of Sonny's other relationships, he was fully _committed_ to letting it be so.

_Ah, the irony._

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Tawni was pacing back and forth on the carpeted floor of her studio flat, contemplating her rash behavior.

"What if this was all a misunderstanding? What if Sonny _didn't_ have a crush on Nico and _wasn't_ out to get him?" she asked herself. It _had_ been pretty weird that Portlyn mentioned Sonny's crush on Nico but not the fact that Sonny and Chad were practically ogling each other.

But then there was that Blue Collar sketch, where she was sure she saw Sonny rub up on Nico in a more than friendly way. She _had _to be flirting. No way was Sonny that good of an actor. She saw the way she tilted his chin to face her in that scene, and she saw that nervous look in Nico's eyes.

Sonny was up to something, and she knew it. If she didn't act quickly, Nico was going to fall into that little fox's arms.

But then again, Sonny _had_ tried to explain what was going on. Tawni hadn't given her the time of day of course. She drove off in her red convertible and left Sonny dusty in her trail.

Tawni decided that if she was going to find out the truth, she might as well get it from the primary source.

She drove back to the studio hastily, knowing that the person she was looking for would still be there. If she guessed correctly, he'd be back in his dressing room from a certain Monster-Truck-Date with the bitch, and she could confront him right there. She did not waste her time memorizing his schedule for nothing.

She parked her car and stomped into the empty, studio, with the exception of the night crew and some shows that filmed late at night, and into the dressing room of the person who held her affections for an entire year.

Just as she entered, she saw Nico right there, talking to somebody on his phone. She retreated in panic, shutting the door silently behind her. She was about to leave when she figured it would do her some good to sneak a little peek of the conversation. Eavesdropping was one of her fortes after all. She held the door ajar by a millimeter and took the conversation in.

"_Hey Sonny?" _

Tawni gasped. He was talking to Sonny!

"_Sonny, I know you're mad. I'm glad you even answered the phone. Sorry for ditching you."_

He ditched her? So they _didn't_ go on their usual date? Tawni rejoiced a little inside.

"_So… I was wondering. D'you wanna go on a date Saturday night? I know I've been a jerk, and I know you have a crush on me I just-"_

He knew! It was confirmed then. Sonny _did_ have a crush on Nico! And Nico was asking her out! Tawni was fuming.

"Oh it's on, bitch. It is _so_ on." Tawni stomped out of the studio, just as noisily as she had stomped in, bent on revenge.

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**So, what did you guys think? The drama did get a bit thicker in this one, didn't it? I'm currently writing this with butter popcorn on my side, so you can rest assured that my little craving was satisfied.**

**I used this chapter to clarify more on the state of Chad and Sonny's relationship, as well as flesh out Tawni's character (she's been left behind a little bit, huh?) I have plans of getting a few of The Falls cast into the drama, but I'm starting to think that it'll distract a bit from the plot of the story. What do you guys think?**

**And the mysterious shoes? Yeah, I have plans for those ;) And those plans involve YOU, the readers. So make sure to keep tuned in until that mysterious character reveals himself, or herself (you never know), depending on how the story goes. And leave your comments, suggestions and speculations on a review. I'd love to hear from more of my readers.**

**Review and Recommend!**

**-AnotherDarnApple**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated as soon as I would've liked. I've been busy revamping my new blog and website. I only have one requirement left and I'm free for the summer (it's summer where I live). Please go check out my homepage (it's now up on my profile) and leave a comment if you like it.**

**So here's the newest chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC or any of its characters. What I do own is this story ;) So enjoy.**

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Sonny woke up to what was one of her least wretched mornings in a long while. Despite her sunny disposition, even Sonny Monroe was not immune to the occasional morning grumpiness. This affliction did not plague her this morning though, because this morning, she felt more rested than she ever had before. Today was going to be a good day. She could feel it.

Sonny stretched out of bed, pushing the covers tucked tightly around her down to her waist. Recalling the events of the preceding night, she stared at her surroundings, confused. She didn't remember getting into bed last night. Heck she didn't even remember lasting 'til the end of the movie. Chad must've carried her in here.

A small smile crept on her face. She looked around the room, looking for any signs of the actor's presence. She got out of bed and exited her room, looking over the entire apartment. The living room was clean, throw pillows immaculately set in place as if they had never been touched. The smell of pancakes drifted through the surrounding air.

"Mmm, Chad's still here." She thought, somewhat relieved. Something in her gut told her that if he wasn't, it would be significantly less of a pleasant morning. She followed the scent of blueberry pancakes into the kitchen, "You could have at least woken up." She scolded playfully as she entered the kitchen.

"Oh, hey honey!"

"M-Mom?" Sonny jumped back in surprise, "But- Where- I mean- When'd you get back?" Sonny tried to regain composure before her mom suspected anything.

"Oh, I just got in this morning." Sonny's mom smiled warmly, flipping a pancake and asking casually, "You had a friend over last night?"

Sonny gulped nervously. "Wh-what are you talking about?"

"Oh, she left a note and a bunch of DVDs." Sonny's mom tilted her head to gesture to the note on the fridge.

"She?" Sonny asked herself quietly, walking over to the fridge to examine the note.

At once she could see why her mom had thought it was a girl who had left the note. The cursive handwriting was pristine in quality, written in an almost calligraphic manner – tapered ends and everything. A far cry from what most of her guy friends wrote like. Sometimes you could hardly distinguish Nico and Grady's handwriting from chicken scratch.

_Left the DVDs for next time. We have two whole bags of popcorn to finish ;) – AWB_

Sonny smiled at the little acronym. _Acquaintance with benefits_. She had come up with the term on a whim, but it was perfect to describe her relationship with Chad. They weren't friends, in fact, they were more of enemies. This didn't mean they couldn't be civil with each other. Sometimes, enemies need to stick together. Needless to say, they hardly knew anything about each other, but the little they did know about each other was enough to keep them arguing as much as they do, and despite the friction, it turned out that they got along quite well.

She had to admit, it was pretty fun hanging out with Chad. Throughout the whole time she was with him, thoughts about the misfortunate events that had occurred just seemed to drift away.

She took the note and slid it into her pajama pocket.

"It's nice that you're having friends over." Her mom said over the sound of the sizzling butter on the pan, "I get worried that I leave you alone at home too much. You should invite her over more often."

Sonny smiled an awkward smile. "Yeah, maybe I will."

"Oh and honey, we're out of shampoo and conditioner, you're going to have to pick some up on your way home, 'kay?"

Sonny sat down on stool next to the kitchen counter, pouring herself a glass of orange juice from the pitcher already set out. She frowned at her mom's request.

"But I just bought a bottle three days ago. That's strange."

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Chad drove to work early that morning, a huge smile plastered on his face, shades resting comfortably on the bridge of his well-defined nose.

He was so in the zone.

The previous night, Sonny had fallen asleep in his arms, and as the credits rolled, he began plotting the next few facets of his master plan. There were a few things he had to factor into his winning equation for disaster.

He parked his convertible (which thankfully as not stolen or mobbed on by fangirls the previous night) in his familiar space and got out, swinging a brown leather jacket over his broad shoulders.

Despite wanting to cause maximum damage to So Random's ego, as well as wanting to eradicate its cast from the face of the earth, he had taken quite a liking to their newest member. He'd have to find a way to crush the funny people whilst keeping his currently questionable relationship with Sonny intact.

Taking out his keys, locking his car and swinging his chain around his fingers, he winked flashed the parking attendant a smile that could kill. If it were any normal day, the male parking attendant would have cocked his brow at Chad's odd display of confidence, but this wasn't a normal day, and it wasn't the normal Chad. It was not surprising then, that Chad's smile could have such an affect even on the male attendant, causing him to stumble in his path.

Chad continued to rearrange the pieces of the puzzle in his mind - there was the issue of Nico taking a liking to Sonny. He wasn't so worried about that though; Rejection was a heavy blow and could scare many a man from trying. Chad was one of those men, and if rejection had that effect on _him_ of all people, it was sure as hell going to roadblock Nico into not trying for a _long_ while.

As he walked from his car to the studio, girls passed him, stopped in their tracks, turned their heads and smiled. It would be an injustice to mankind for Chad _not_ to reciprocate such a sincere manifestation of devotion to the actor. So as was expected of the greatest actor of his generation, Chad smiled back, causing many a young lady to faint.

He continued in his stride, contemplating more on his devious plan.

The next few steps of his plan involved Blondie. She was the most unpredictable of all – the wildcard. Portlyn had been the one to bring her into the picture, and frankly Chad had no idea what to expect from her. As far as things go, he was counting on her to blow her top off, as she usually would when it came to issues of her not getting exactly what she wanted. The semblance of a friendship Sonny and she had formed could hardly withstand a little stab of jealousy, however strong it had grown throughout their time together. Of that, Chad was partially certain.

More heads turned as the actor passed by in a particularly good mood. His pheromones were buzzing and irking even the straightest of men.

Chad smiled at the reactions he was getting that morning. Despite being totally engrossed in plotting So Random's demise, he couldn't help but enjoy the added attention he was getting.

'Why all the attention?' you may ask. Well, Chad wasn't just Chad today – he had an added boost to his mojo. Running his hand through his hair he laughed at what he had done the previous night.

_--------------Flashback---------------_

After Sonny had fallen asleep, he had carried her to her room and tucked her in. He sat beside her, running his fingers through her hair, across her cheek, temptation bringing him ever closer to wanting to kiss her.

But Chad was better than that – he would not get the satisfaction of having devoured his prey if he took them without their consent. No, he would make Sonny crawl to him, beg for him, need his company, need_ him_. And despite how adamant she was being regarding their relationship, he was going to make her crack. He was only partially kidding about the notch in the post comment, and Sonny Monroe would make _one hefty_ notch.

Putting the sleeping princess in bed, he explored her room.

It was quite empty, probably because she spent most of the time that mattered in her dressing room. Opening the door to her bathroom, an intense smell of Sonny smacked him right in the face. It was pure ecstasy to the olfactory nerves.

Chad entered the bathroom and scanned the perimeter. Red shower curtains, scented candles, mango body butter – just what he had expected.

Playing with the potpourri laying in an oddly shaped bowl, Chad examined his watch. It was nearly four in the morning. Chad calculated opportunity costs in his head, factoring in the time it would take him to get home for a new change of clothes, plus the time it would take him to get to the studio for early morning Falls shooting.

Even with him driving like a maniac – which he had no intent of doing (he lacked any motivation to anyway, he was in no rush to leave Sonny's apartment) – the rush would leave him little to no time to shower. Playing with one of the many bottles of hair product Sonny Monroe kept in her bathroom, he smiled.

"Might as well."

Chad had left Sonny's apartment at the crack of dawn, freshly showered and smelling intensely like Sonny. He enjoyed her scent on him. It reminded him of his newly formed relationship with her, and it motivated him to see to it that So Random would fall. So what if he had used up all her product? CDC's hair did not just get this way without sacrifices. He doubted the kindhearted Monroe would mind anyway.

So what if he smelled like a girl? He was CDC, he could rock any scent.

He drove home, grabbed a change of clothes and headed straight for the studio. He had endured yet another sleepless night, but unlike any of the others, he had quite the time not sleeping.

Today was going to be a good day. He could feel it.

_--------------End Flashback---------------_

Walking into the set of Mackenzie Falls, his cast mates turned to him and were more or less unphased by the actor's bravado.

Portlyn walked over and gave him a nonchalant sniff. "Pfft Chad, you smell like a girl" She laughed. "If you're going to have a one night stand, you might as well make it discreet. What'd you do, leave her house just this morning?"

Chad smiled, "Oh, _you'd_ like to know, wouldn't you Portlyn." Chad raised his eyebrows and waved her away, "If you must know, I was just making some significant progress on that little plan of ours. You know the one."

Portlyn's eyes widened, "Dish."

"Let's just say So Random is on its way downhill. I'll explain later. Right now, we have a scene to shoot." The actor clapped his hands and his cast assembled before him, "Let's make this day count, 'kay guys? Now everybody, to your marks."

* * *

Sonny came in to work a little past twelve. She had made a quick trip to the grocery to stock up some shampoo and conditioner before making her way to work.

What Chad did should have probably left her greatly upset at the cocky actor. After all, he had used up all her product. Oddly enough she wasn't. She was going to walk up to him that day and scold him lightly for his inconsideration and invite him over for another movie session.

She knew it wasn't sensible to do so, but something inside her wanted to spend some time with her newly inaugurated Acquaintance with Benefits, and she was willing to make a little sacrifice to do so. That was how good this morning was.

If he was going to use up that much shampoo and conditioner, Sonny was going to have to buy a butt load more than she usually bought.

Carrying three heavy paper bags of hair product, she made her way into the studio to bump into a very frantic Marshall.

"SONNY!" Marshall screamed at her, grabbing her by the shoulders, "I'm so glad you're here."

"M-m-m-marshall, stop sh-sh-shaking m-me, p-please?" she let out between his frantic blows.

Marshall let go of the bewildered comedienne and started pacing. "Tawni and Nico switched shifts! Rehearsals for the different sketches have been moved! Props aren't where they're supposed to be! Extras don't know which sketches they're supposed to be in! The whole studio's in an uproar!" Marshall said, bordering incoherency.

"Okay Marshall, slow down. Get a hold of yourself." Sonny set down her paper bags and turned Marshall to her, "Which sets are set up? Whose shifts are up and where the heck are Grady and Zora?"

Marshall took a deep breath, "Okay, we have Teacher's Pet set up and you, Tawni and Nico are supposed to be in it together, but Nico's nowhere to be found! Grady and Zora are trying to get them to reconsider their schedules. I have no idea what's happening!"

"Nico's _still_ avoiding me?" Sonny accidentally asked herself out loud.

"Who's avoiding you?" Marshall snapped out of his frantic reverie to ask.

"It's nothing Marshall." Sonny wracked her brain up trying to find a solution to their little schedule dilemma, "How about Grady takes Nico's part for the rehearsal and we all get our acts together until final filming? I'm sure we can all improvise."

Marshall contemplated the arrangement, "I guess it'll do for now. You're a lifesaver Sonny."

Sonny smiled and picked up her paper bags, proud of herself. "Oh, I try my best."

Sonny was making her way to her dressing room to change when she tripped and fell, dropping her bags and emptying their contents onto the floor.

She looked up to see Tawni, leg extended, with a face full of contempt and accusation.

"Tawni!? What the heck was that for?" Sonny gathered the bottles of shampoo in her hands and stood up to see eye to eye with the self-proclaimed diva.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize my foot was in your way." Tawni said sarcastically. "Looking forward to the sketch with you later Sonny." She smiled sweetly and walked briskly away.

Sonny sneered and made her way to her dressing room to change.

When she said that today was going to be a good day, she had spoken too soon.

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Chad had finished filming early that day and had decided to drop by the So Random set to pay a visit to his favorite Random.

People were still giving him stares and stopping in their tracks to get a whiff of him. He'd probably used too much of Sonny's shampoo and in addition to his daily visit, he had also planned a snarky apology to the funny brunette, after which he'd casually invite himself over for dinner. That or he'd end up in another argument with her. He'd have fun either way.

He dropped by a little past the start of rehearsals and he could tell by the fake smile plastered all over Blondie's face that he had been correct in assuming that she'd blow her top over the whole Nico and Sonny thing. He examined the set curiosity fueling his veins.

Grady was, yet again, cross-dressing; this time has a middle-aged history teacher with a humungous mole on her upper lip. Chad cringed a little. He had no idea how these people could stand making such fools of themselves.

From what he had gathered from the scene playing out before him, Grady was a teacher Tawni was his pet – in a quite literal manner.

Tawni was dressed up as a regular teen bully, except with whiskers and a tail. Chad laughed. Where did these people come up with these things?

Looking through the rest of the set, he spotted what he had come for. Sonny was beside Tawni and she didn't look like she was enjoying at all. Chad's eyebrows furrowed in concern. Sonny's character was being somewhat oppressed by the teacher's pet, and it was natural that Sonny be acting as dejected as she looked, but something in her aura told Chad that she wasn't just looking like that because of the sketch.

As the sketch went on, Tawni seemed to have been enjoying her character a bit too much, tripping Sonny while the teacher wasn't looking and sucking up to her while she was. Sonny didn't seem to be enjoying the all-too-real bullying Tawni was affording her, but nobody else seem to have noticed.

The bell rang which marked the end of rehearsals and Sonny was ready to storm off set. Chad stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey Sonny, what happened?" Chad asked concerned. He already knew the answer though.

All at once, Sonny's unvented anger was unleashed.

"Oh shut up Chad, It hasn't been a good day so you can just mosey on along back to your stupid set. And I can't believe you used up all my shampoo!" Sonny yelled, exasperated.

"Woah there, feisty. Calm down, I came to apologize." He had thought he'd either be apologizing or arguing with Monroe, not both. "Now tell me what happened."

"I just-" Sonny began to explain until she was rudely interrupted.

"Oh she was just really good at acting today. I bet she couldn't _wait_ until she got to do the real sketch with Nico. She's just all pouty 'cuz Grady had to take his place today. _Right_, Sonny?" Tawni raised her eyebrow, not expecting Sonny to retaliate.

"Tawni, I have _no idea_ what you're talking about! You're being ridiculous!" Sonny practically screamed, "You didn't have to _actually_ pull my hair during rehearsal, you know?"

"I was just getting into character!" Tawni practically pounced on the shorter girl.

Chad stood in between them preventing what could be a hell of a cat fight. Inside, Chad was conflicted.

"Okay girls, calm down."

"Tawni's the one being a jerk!" Sonny pointed a finger accusingly.

"Well, Sonny's the one being a SLUT!" Tawni spat out, reaching out for the kill.

"Oh no you didn't!" Sonny was just about to throw a punch.

"Uhm, excuse me? Delivery?" There Josh the mail boy stood, amidst the hissy fit, carrying a huge bouquet of flowers.

Chad dropped his hands walked over and reached for the bouquet, smiling. "Oh, another one from my fans? How thoughtful."

"Oh no, Cooper. This isn't for you. It's for Sonny over there." Josh smiled, extending his arm so the bouquet was out of Chad's persistent reach. Chad's face fell s he turned to face Sonny, shock splayed all over her face.

"For _me_?"

"For _her_?"

Sonny and Tawni snapped out of their fit to admire the flowers.

"Oh, there's a lot more where that came from." Josh smiled and clapped his hands, "Bring them in boys!"

All at once, bouquet after bouquet of flowers were brought in by different staff and delivery boys, each of a different color and variety until the entire set was filled to the brim with flowers and smelled like a flower field.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Tawni let out, in awe.

"Who're they from?" Chad and Sonny asked at the same time.

Right then and there, Nico emerged from behind the bouquets of flowers, one bouquet larger than all the rest in hand, hat to his chest and face full of love struck wonder.

"Sonny, I know you're mad. But give me a chance? All I'm asking for is one date, just _one date_. _Then_ you can decide if you hate me or not."

Sonny's jaw was ajar.

Chad and Tawni looked at each other, then at Sonny, then at Nico and back at each other. "You've _got _to be kidding me!" they let out at the same time.

Nico walked over to the bewildered brunette, taking her hand in his and wrapping her fingers around the large bouquet.

"Sonny, go out with me? Please?"

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**I'm sorry if this chapter was all over the place. It's really hard writing up a story from one setting to another. So I've been getting a large influx of story alerts for this story, but only a few reviews :( Come on guys, show me some love :P A little review won't hurt, right?**

**Lol, so I have a lot of stuff planned for this story, and Portlyn will be playing a bigger role in the next few chapters. So stay tuned!**

**-AnotherDarnApple**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay guys, I've been really busy with Graduation Ball Dress Shopping and other clearance requirements. I found the perfect dress yesterday and we're having it altered to fit me. I'm so excited.**

**To make up for it, this chapter's a little bit longer than the others. I was asked in a review how long I was planning to make this fanfiction, so I tried drawing out an outline of things that might happen, and basically it's stretching out to be 12 to 16 chapters give or take a few. I'm not even sure with that projected length because sometimes ideas just come to me and I end up adding a few things I didn't plan before.**

**If you guys think this is getting too long and that I should probably just divide it into sequels, please tell me.**

**Either way, here's the next chapter. I'm sorry if a lot of you are bothered by the whole Nico-Sonny thing, but don't worry, it's Channy all the way. Think of it of a modern take on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, except Sonny's not dressing as a guy, and there's a lot more drama. Everything will be resolved by the time this story ends. I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC, but I'm talking to my lawyers about it. We might just get there ;)**

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The whole studio was at a standstill. For a few moments, it was just Sonny and Nico, Nico and Sonny.

Sonny's mouth fell open and shut, looking for words to say, but finding none. Her appearance had made her seem quite like a fish actually.

"Nico, I-" Sonny looked around her, the faces of her cast mates waiting for a definite answer. Zora had popped out of a vent and had turned her ear intent on hearing the damsel's reply. Grady had stopped hoarding flowers to decorate his Antopia, and the whole cast of Mackenzie Falls had chosen that exact same moment to drop by for a visit, only to witness So Random's biggest gesture of attraction so far.

Nico got on his knees. "Sonny, I can be everything you need. If you're the one for me, like gravity I'll-"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. I think I've heard those words before." Sonny brought her finger to her chin and thought deeply. The crowd stood there, waiting.

"They're from a song, Sonny." Chad said, annoyed. "Are you planning on going out with a guy who quotes sappy love songs like they're _poetry_ or something?"

Sonny glared at the actor. She turned to Nico and took his hands in hers once more. "I happen to like sappy love songs." She smiled a small smile and pulled Nico up, so they were seeing eye to eye, despite the height difference, "And I love the flowers. And I love big gestures."

"You're not going to tell him you _love_ him, are you!?" Tawni interrupted, not being able to keep herself from erupting, "Cuz that is so cliché."

"I was going to say – I'm not sure if I love _you_, but it's worth a try." She smiled. Tawni and Chad both winced at her words.

Tiptoeing as high as she possibly could, she wrapped her arms around the comedian and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Of course I'll go on a date with you."

The whole studio erupted into a loud applause, cheering resounding from both sides of the studio. It's surprising how even for a short moment, a small proclamation of liking is able to bring everyone into a mutual frenzy of joy and happiness.

But that just about did it for Chad Dylan Cooper. "Okay lovebirds, break it up, break it up. I wonder how Mr. Condor will feel knowing that his actors and actresses are so keen on public displays of affection lately, because last I checked, PDAs were against studio regulations."

Grady nudged the actor in the rib. "Who stuck a pole up your ass? Give 'em a break will ya? They've been through a lot."

Chad stood there, shocked at the Random's sudden moxy. "Did you just _nudge_ the Great Chad Dylan Cooper!?"

This whole time, Tawni was fuming, crushing the bouquet in her hands into just a semblance of the bundle of beauty it was before.

"This calls for confetti!" Zora announced from her ceiling dwelling, putting Tawni's fit to an abrupt end. Pulling out a hammer the young comedienne began battering out the vent, to reveal a stash of confetti hidden within it. All at once, colored streams of paper fell from the sky, showering both casts in a rainbow snowstorm.

Chad stormed out of the So Random studio, swiping long streams of confetti from before his path in a fury. Seeing the exit of their ring leader, the Mackenzie Falls cast cut their merrymaking to an abrupt stop and stormed out in like manner, puzzled as to what had set the blonde actor's fuse off. Despite the rivalry between both casts, most had found the gesture sweet and touching. The knowing look on Portlyn's face showed she knew otherwise.

She was the first to catch up to the raging actor, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him into a one-eighty.

"What the hell happened in there?" She demanded, veering them both off into a secluded corner so they could talk. "I thought you _made significant progress_ with our little plan." She enclosed her words with a gesture of quotation for emphasis.

Chad avoided her piercing gaze and diverted his eyes to a spot on the wall in front of him, "It's all part of the plan. You'll see." He said, trying to sound confident, when all hope within him was crushed. His plan had done a double take on him and hit him right in the sucker.

"It better be. But from the looks of it, it isn't." Portlyn said, backing him into a wall and placing her right hand on the wall beside him. "Chad Dylan Cooper, you're losing your touch. I'll be more than willing to take the job right off you if you don't mind."

Chad eyed her suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"

Portlyn drew closer to the young actor, taking him by the tie and pulling him closer, increasing the proximity between them. "What do you _think_ I have in mind?" She said seductively.

"You may be good at seduction Portlyn, but I don't see what good seducing me will do us." Chad said, laughing at himself whilst getting quite uncomfortable in the position they were in. Portlyn had begun running her hand down his chest.

Chad shifted to push Portlyn back, this time, backing her into a corner. Steadying himself with both hands against the wall, he towered over the brunette with questioning eyes.

"Just watch." She said, pulling the actor in for a short and light kiss.

Right at that moment, somebody had rounded the corner to bump into the scheming couple.

"Oh, Sorry." Sonny said, trying to kill the awkwardness. "I guess it's not a _public_ display of affection unless you get caught, huh?" She prattled and ran away.

Chad stood there, eyes wide, puzzled at what just occurred.

"Great." Chad said, pushing Portlyn away.

"What's the big deal?" Portlyn asked, shrugging the whole incident of. "The point is that she thought we were getting it on."

"How is that the point?" Chad asked, rubbing his temples vigorously. He was starting to get a migraine from all the drama.

"Look at it this way Chad." She said, circling him tentatively, "If I can make her think that you and I have something going on between each other_-"_

Chad read her mind all too easily and completed her thought. "Then you can make her think you and Nico do too!"

"And Nico will all too easily fall into my little web of seduction." She said proudly. "He'll never know what hit him."

It was so simple. They'd make Sonny think that Nico was two-timing her. There's nothing worse than being cheated on, and Chad could think of more than one advantage to the brand new phase of their plan. He eyed Portlyn, who was now filing her nails with an Emery board.

"For someone so dim-witted, you sure do come up with some great evil schemes."

Portlyn looked at him dismissively and resumed her attention to her nails. "I've had practice all my life."

Chad let out a large breath. "Remind me to never get on _your_ bad side." He dug his hands in his pockets searching for the right words to manifest what he was feeling inside. As they started making their way back to their set for a late afternoon shooting, the young actor's expression softened and turned to his co-star. "Thanks Port."

She looked at the actor, surprised. "For what?"

"I don't know. I just feel obliged to say thank you." He smiled.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Now to set the plan in action." Chad announced to himself proudly.

* * *

Tawni was sitting in her dressing room, looking desperately for the dartboard she had thrown so carelessly away since she forged her little pseudo-friendship with the newest female random. Oh how naïve she had been back then. She _knew_ she should have trusted her gut feeling. She just _knew_ Sonny was out to ruin her life, steal _her_ spotlight, and steal _her_ man.

She threw things across the room in an angry rage, digging through her closet. She needed an outlet, and she needed it now.

How come Sonny got the attention? How come Sonny got the flood of flowers? How come Sonny got to hold his hand? How come Sonny got to give him a kiss on the cheek?

For the first time in her life, Tawni Hart had forced herself to be patient. Tawni Hart had held out on what she wanted the most. Tawni Hart had stopped being a spoiled brat and tolerated it when Sonny and he went out on impromptu dates to the rampage that was those Monster-Truck-Whatever-Thingies. She waited for him, dropped him subtle hints, brushed her arm ever so lightly with hers, congratulated him –someone other than herself – for doing a good job. Tawni Hart had been a good girl!

And yet it was that brown-haired devil that had snatched the guy, and that brown-haired devil that got to be happy.

Well that was it. No more little-miss-nice-Tawni.

"I am going to crush her. I am going to obliterate her. I am going to dig up something so reputation-tainting, Nico won't even _dare_ go out with her."

Throwing out the last of her ensembles from her closet, she finally found the dart-ridden picture of her female co-star and raised it in triumph.

"Uhm, Miss Hart?" Josh peeked from behind a semi-open door, "Not that I want to interrupt your evil plotting against Sonny or anything, but I brought over the rest of Sonny's flowers. Nico asked me to place them on Sonny's desk."

Tawni quickly hid the picture behind her back and approached the mail boy with a fake aura of kindness.

"How much did you hear?" She eyed the nervous boy with a threatening air behind her sweet smile.

"Depends. It was none of my business anyway." Backing up, Josh fumbled with the cart in front of him, "I can see you're busy so I think amma deliver these some other time."

"Stop right there, mail-cart-person-boy-thing." Tawni reached for his shoulder and turned him to face her.

"It's Josh."

"Whatever." Tawni said answered dismissively, "I think I could use you. How good are you at stalking and keeping secrets?" Tawni's grip on the boy's shoulder tightened as her smile grew more devious.

The frightened boy answered with a meep.

"I'll take that as a pretty good. Come with me."

All the poor boy could do was to follow. Being the queen bee Tawni was, any other answer would be a simple execution wish.

* * *

The next day had brought in new beginnings for two of Condor Studio's most beloved assets. Walking into set together, Nico and Sonny seemed like the picture of a perfect couple, if by a perfect couple you mean two comedians in chicken suits.

Going by the latest hype, the Marshall and _some_ of the cast had unanimously decided to rewrite some sketches to highlight the couple's debut in Hollywood, much to Tawni's dismay. At least she wouldn't have to be in the same sketch as that conniving seductress.

Their last show had gone pretty well, save a few distracted moments between Nico and Sonny, who never seemed to get their lines over with before they started giggling uncontrollably. Chad had noticed this as he watched the comedians perform. He smiled to himself mischievously; they were already digging their own grave.

The camera men managed to get enough decent shots to be pieced together to form a cohesive scene, but Marshall was beginning to regret the rewrites. Nico and Sonny needed to focus.

Sonny and Nico had a separate sketch scheduled next, much to Marshall's relief, and Sonny was free for the rest of day. Changing out of her costume she waited on set for Nico's sketch to be over. Seeing as Nico had yet to reemerge from his costume change, Sonny had decided to take a small trip to the refreshment table.

Waiting until Sonny was away from her co-star-slash-hubby, Chad approached her when she was alone, raiding the refreshment table. He smiled as she began examining the cookies on the table, looking for one with white chocolate chips and macadamias. Apparently, she had the same cookie taste as he did. Spotting the last one from the corner of his eye, went straight for it, just as Sonny had noticed it as well.

"Hey! That was mine!" Sonny scolded as Chad took a bite of the big chunk of white-chocolaty goodness.

"Oh, you mean this?" Chad taunted, holding the cookie in front of her. Sonny reached up as Chad held it above her head beyond her reach. It was all fun and games until Sonny began to attempt climbing up the length of Chad's body to reach it. Man, did she love white chocolate macadamia.

The proximity between the two stars' bodies began making Chad uncomfortable. Feeling the warmth of Sonny's body against his started doing weird things to his system and he gave in, balancing the cookie on top of the actress' head perfectly.

Snatching the cookie from the top of her head, the comedienne glared at the conceited actor with a smirk on his face. She nibbled on the cookie and turned back to set to check if Nico had gotten back.

"You just kissed me Monroe." Chad smiled as he interrupted Sonny's surveillance.

"I thought we were over this, Chad." She looked up at him with a glare, "It was a fake kiss, remember?"

"Oh I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about _that._" Chad pointed out, gesturing at the cookie. "You took a bite out of a cookie with my saliva on it. Technically, that's an indirect kiss." He beamed triumphantly.

Sonny examined the innocent looking cookie in her hand. "Chad that is so first grade."

Chad shrugged as she finished off the last bits of the cookie. "Still…"

They stood there for awhile, saying nothing, doing nothing, waiting for the next sketch to begin. Grady and Zora were on stage, hyping up the crowd with a few knock-knock jokes. Sonny smiled at the closeness between the two. So Random really had been expanding their borders.

"So-" Chad mustered up out of the blue, "You and Nico." He nodded as he enunciated those three words that seemed to leave such a bad aftertaste on his tongue.

"So-" Sonny answered in like, "You and Portlyn."

Chad turned to her to explain but decided to veer away from the topic. "Look Sonny, about you and Nico-" He paused, looking for the right words to make himself not sound concerned or affected. It was impossible. "I'm just worried, okay?"

Sonny raised an eyebrow at him. "The great Chad Dylan Cooper? Worried? Over li'l ol' me?"

"Look Sonny, a few days ago, he was avoiding you. He wouldn't even answer your texts. He ditched you and left you to walk miles and miles back home."

"Actually Chad, you did that too." Sonny interjected.

"That's beside the point." Chad defended, "The point is, this change is too drastic. Don't you think he might just be-" Chad paused.

Sonny nodded slowly for him to go on.

"Using you?"

Sonny scoffed at Chad's words and started giggling. "Chad, of all things, you're worried he's using me?" The giggling started to become uncontrollable.

Chad did not expect this reaction.

"Chad, you don't see me bugging you about your relationship with that bimbo Portlyn, when there are probably a hundred times more problems with that image than the image of Nico and I being together." Sonny started pouring herself some juice. "And besides, I'm pretty sure it's way beyond Nico's capacity to plan a conspiracy as intricate and elaborate as having to use me to better his reputation."

"You have a point." Chad conceded, leaning back on the table and waited. The tone of Sonny's voice told him she wasn't finished.

"When did you and Portlyn start dating anyway?" Sonny asked as nonchalantly as she could.

Chad was taken aback by the question. He hadn't thought that part of the plan out.

"Oh, I don't know." He shrugged, "It just happened. One day, when she came on set, she looked more stunning than she ever had before. I guess I just asked her out right then and there." He put on his lost reminiscing look and stared off into space as he retold the story, taking slight peeks at Sonny's reaction from the corner of his eye to see if she was buying it. "I think it's been a few months now?"

She bought it.

"Wow, I didn't think the great CDC could stay with one girl for such a long amount of time." She took a sip of her juice, implying that she didn't believe a word.

"Well, actually, it's more of an open relationship; for me at least."

"I knew it. I sort of pity her now."

"Don't get me wrong - I see other people, and she's fine with it. She's head over heels for me actually." Chad popped his collar conceitedly, "But in all honesty, I've been dating other girls to try to convince myself that she isn't the one." Taken right from the script.

"And how's that going for you?" Sonny turned to him and raised her brow.

Chad took a good look at Sonny before he answered. He could just answer as he had answered for all the girls he had told this obvious lie to. But something in the look in Sonny's eye was telling him not to.

Eyes locked onto hers, he answered. "I'm failing. Miserably. I date other girls almost on a weekly basis and every day, I'm more convinced that there's no girl like her. I don't feel the way I do for any other girl than I do with y- Portlyn."

The slight slip went unnoticed by the brunette, as she listened attentively to Chad's impromptu confession.

"Every time I'm with her, she makes me smile and I feel like I don't really have to try as hard. She's special, she makes my day."

Chad didn't know what he was saying now. The words just kept coming out like word-vomit, like they were programmed into his system. He couldn't break his gaze with the brown-haired starlet.

"When she laughs, it's like the bells are ringing and they just blow my mind. Everything she does, everything she is; it's overwhelming. Her hair feels perfect under my fingers and her face looks like porcelain under dim light. She smells wonderful and when she's near me, I get butterflies. It gets hard for me to think straight when I'm with her. She makes me want to be a better person."

He breathed in, realizing what had just happened. Where had all that come from?

"Wow Chad, you have it bad." Sonny was lost in the romance of his little monologue. "If you like her that much, I don't see why you have to busy yourself with other girls as much. The way you talk about her it's like you're _in love_."

Those two words hit hard and there was a slight pause before the conversation progressed.

"I don't know either." Chad started staring off into space. "I guess I have commitment issues."

Sonny laughed. "Aww, li'l Chaddy-Waddy havin' a hawd time committing?" Sonny teased him and pulled on the sleeve of his snazzy shirt.

He snapped out of his reverie and smiled at the brunette. "Well at least I don't go jumping all gung-ho into relationships like you and you're li'l Nico-Wico. How are _you_ so sure that he's as committed to you as you are to him?" He ruffled Sonny's hair teasingly. If his plan was going to work, he was going to have to get back on track.

"Well, what can I say? I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic." Sonny began swaying childishly at the thought of romance.

This time it was Chad's turn to scoff.

"So how're you guys doing anyway? It's effectively been a day since the proposal. Surely he's picked out a date setting." Chad looked left and right to make sure Nico was nowhere in sight.

"Yeah actually, he has." Sonny smiled warmly, "Apparently it's supposed to be a really posh place."

"So basically they're serving lobster at monster truck rallies now?" Chad took a shot at being the funny guy; he hit home.

Laughing, Sonny gave him a playful punch on the arm. "Speaking of which, I need a favor."

"Sonny Monroe is asking Chad Dylan Cooper for a favor. Call the press!"

"Just shut up and listen." Sonny pulled on the actor's ear. "I need some help. I'd ask Tawni, but she's avoiding me for some reason, and I really don't want another confrontation with her to dampen my mood, so the next best person I thought of was you." Sonny stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "I need help picking out a dress."

"How the heck did you get from Tawni to _me_ as the next best person to consult about dress decisions?"

"Zora's twelve, Grady's taste in clothing is questionable at best, my mom's horrible at shopping and let's face it Chad, you're the most metrosexual guy I know."

Chad raised his eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm metrosexual?"

Sonny looked Chad up head to toe as if to prove her point.

"Fine, I'll help you, but you so owe me another movie night for this."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Backstage Nico was getting ready for the next sketch to be filmed, or at least he would be, had it not been for the fact that his dressing room door was locked. Marshall had let the live audience go, seeing as they had went way past screening time to shoot a few simple scenes. They were filming this scene without a live studio audience, just to be safe. Nico fumbled with the doorknob in a futile attempt to force it open. When that attempt failed, he punched the door in frustration, only to be greeted by an intense pain on his knuckles.

"Damnit!"

As if on cue, Portlyn rounded a corner and bumped into the frustrated comedian.

"Oh! Hey there Rico!" she said with a bright smile on her face.

"It's Nico." He answered, shaking off his hand to drive the pain away, "And what are _you_ doing here. Shouldn't you be on the set of The Falls or something?"

"Oh, I was just heading over there, but I took a different studio entrance and a few lefts and rights later, I'm here, lost." She explained innocently, whilst approaching the actor slowly.

Nico looked at her and noticed her approach. "W-what're you doing?" She had him backed up against the wall in no time.

"Oh, I don't know. I just thought you could-" Portlyn pressed herself against him "Show me the way."

"Girl, there are signs everywhere. You just need to read 'em." He pushed the touchy actress away from him, "Or did they not teach you how to read over at The Falls?"

Portlyn huffed as Nico walked away to find some staff to open his door, dismissing her and leaving her there hanging.

This was going to be harder than she expected it to be. If she was going to get Nico, she was going to have to take it from another angle. She crossed her arms, annoyed. She was going to have to…

…_befriend him._

_

* * *

  
_

**So what do you guys think? I'm sure some of you now have a semblance of what the end-pairings are going to be by the end of the story.**

**Portlyn and Chad are getting themselves into some deep shit if you ask me. What do you think is going to happen?**

**Thanks for all the reviews by the way. Last chapter had the most reviews since the first, so I'm counting on you to not disappoint me this chapter ;) Tell me what you think.**

**Read, Recommend, Review!**

**-AnotherDarnApple**


	7. Chapter 7

**So apparently fanfiction was being a bitch with my alerts and I didn't receive any alerts, not even for my subscriptions. I feel so sad and horrid now.**

**On the bright side, this chapter is up, and I'm telling you now, it's a good one. Muhahahaha.**

**So I'm not going to keep on this pre-chapter author's note for long. On to the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC, but I do own an autographed signed poster of it. In your faces. BOOYAH!**

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* * *

  
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"What exactly did you say to her, Chad Dylan Cooper!?" Portlyn screamed as she paced through the table reading room. She and Chad had come earlier than the rest to discuss the recent turn of events.

"Nothing much really." Chad said as he rolled his water bottle back and forth nervously.

"I wouldn't call telling her that we were dating _nothing much really_." Portlyn slammed her hands down on the table, catching the actor by surprise. "Chad, what the hell were you thinking!?"

"Portlyn, before you go over the top over this little wrinkle in our plan, you have to see the up-side to the situation." Chad said as unscrewed the top of his bottle for a drink.

"There _are_ no upsides Chad." Portlyn said, grabbing his bottle mid-sip and throwing it behind her, "You were supposed to set her up for her heart to be broken. Plant the seed of doubt. Make her feel miserable and unloved. Pick at her every insecurity. Destroy her from the inside ou-"

"Portlyn, get a hold of yourself. Think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts." Chad laid both hands on the actress' shoulders to simmer her down.

"Chad, I _do not_ want to pretend to be dating you. _Head over heels_ _in love?_ Not exactly my thing."

"Well what did you expect me to say? That _I_ was head over heels in love with you?" Chad scoffed, "Yeah, fat chance of that happening."

"You _should have_ said we were just fooling around." She circled the actor and started poking him on his cheek. "You _should have_ denied all allegations. You _should have_ said anything _but_ that."

Chad thought over it once more. Why _hadn't_ he said those things? They seemed so simple and logical now that he thought of it. But they seemed so _wrong._ Did he _want_ Sonny to think he was fooling around with other girls? Well, it wouldn't be surprising if she probably thought that already, but actual confirmation of that fact was somehow completely different.

When Chad failed to answer Portlyn let out a deep sigh and threw her hands up in frustration.

"Chad Dylan Cooper, sometimes I think you're doing this for the wrong reasons." Portlyn sat down across the table from the actor and started examining her nails. "Sometimes I think you're not doing this just to push the Random's buttons. It's like you have an ulterior motive." Portlyn's eyes narrowed at the blonde-haired actor.

"Ulterior motive? Pfft."

"It's that Random isn't it? Sonny has you all tied up in knots."

"Portlyn, as much as I value your input on everything, I'm going to have to say this is entirely absurd." When it came to lying to Portlyn, nothing came easier.

It was a wonder then how she could see right through his façade.

Portlyn raised her brow. "Whatever Chad. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, and I sure as hell know I'm pretty much a bitch, but I know you, and the deeper you dig yourself in, the harder it's going to be to dig yourself out."

Portlyn held Chad's hands consolingly.

"You're playing a dangerous game here, and you probably don't know it because you've never had something bite you in the butt like this. This is new territory for you."

"What exactly are you trying to tell me Portlyn?" Chad said, trying to pry his hands away from her death grip.

"Chad, I think you're in love."

Chad looked at her as if she was deranged. The concerned look just did _not_ suit Portlyn.

"With a Random no less." Portlyn rolled her eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking abou-"

"Let me finish, Chad." Portlyn placed a finger on Chad's baby-soft lips, silencing him. "I hate to say this, and by my favorite brand of lip gloss, I swear if you tell anybody I did, I will kill you-" Portlyn tightened her grip on the actor's hands as if to cushion a fall.

"I don't want to see you get hurt." She blurted out all at once, the words barely understandable. Portlyn then gagged and wheezed as if she had just ingested poison.

Chad smiled cockily at the actress. "Portlyn, you do your job and I'll do mine. I won't fall in love with Sonny if that's what you're worried about." He used his free hand to brush a hand through his perpetually perfect hair, "I'm _way_ too out of her league."

Placing his hand on Portlyn's, he gave her a light squeeze of reassurance which made the actress sigh in defeat. Chad was a big boy now and he'd have to find out the hard way what it meant to fall.

There was a slight moment of silence between the two. They were in fact best friends, despite their clashing egos. Nobody else would be able to grasp the moment of mutual assurance they shared in their simple agreement. It was quite an odd relationship, as all relationships related to Chad Dylan Cooper are, and it was best not to try to comprehend each little segue of his star struck life.

Though some people still insisted on doing so and came up with the most inaccurate of conclusions. Leading to just the predicament they had planned to avoid.

"Wow."

The two stars were interrupted by reporter Santiago Geraldo popping into the room, camera in tow, recorder ready, wide-eyed and ready for more. Their hands clasped tight, gazes eye to eye – that was all that the reporter needed to fabricate an elaborate story of a secret romance in his head. Chad and Portlyn looked at each other in a panic.

"So it's true then? You two _are_ dating?"

* * *

Connie Monroe sat on the kitchen counter, swinging her legs childishly as she enjoyed the morning paper quite late in the evening. Mug filled with herbal tea in one hand and newspaper in the other, she examined an article about budding Hollywood couples with a critical eye. She had gotten news that her daughter was now dating her co-star, but had not had the chance to actually ask her daughter about it due to conflicting schedules.

Digging up what she could, her stomach jumped at the journalist's retelling of Nico's grand proposal to her daughter. She was quite the proud mom, and Sonny had in fact, inherited her love for romance from her mother.

She turned the page to see another article on teen couples. This one featured the newly-debuted Chortlyn.

Connie held back a chuckle as she read the couple's name-squish. Chortlyn was just _not_ a very appealing name to give a couple. She set the newspaper down and took in the whole of their apartment.

Their apartment, which now doubled as a greenhouse, sheltered the leftover flowers Nico had given her daughter. Looking around once more, she sat in awe of what teenagers were capable of these days.

Hearing their apartment door unlock and the shuffling of shoes outside, she could immediately tell that it was her daughter and a boy that had just walked in. Mrs. Monroe had the uncanny ability to distinguish people from the sound their shoes made against the floor. If she knew the sound well enough, she could even tell who it was exactly. All she could deduce from the kitchen counter, however, was that her daughter was with a boy, so she hurriedly ran to meet them in giddy excitement.

"Sonny Monroe, that better be your new boyfriend!" She ran up and in a frenzy of excitement jumped the poor male actor for a big bear hug.

"Mom!" Sonny jumped back in surprise once her mom pulled her in to form a group hug.

Eyes shut tight, the overexcited mother hugged the teens earnestly, effectively ruining all their outfits.

"Allison, I'm so happy you finally have a boyfriend!" Connie rubbed the back of her daughter's head lovingly.

"Uh, hey Mrs. Monroe-" The suffocated actor let out.

"Shh- I want to cherish this moment." Sonny's mom wasn't about to let her possibly-future-son-in-law get away without at least a minute of good Monroe hugging.

"Mom, this isn't my boyfriend." Sonny let out with difficulty, trying to free herself from her mother's pincer grip.

"Oh Sonny, of course this is your boyfriend." Mrs. Monroe finally let go of the teens, pushing them back to take a good look at them, "Hmmm, Nico, you've gotten a lot paler since the last time I saw you."

Sonny raised her brows at her mother. She couldn't be that dense, could she?

"And when did you dye your hair blonde?" She said, ruffling the actor's hair. "Come to think about it, you look a lot like –"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Ch-ch-cha-cha-cha-"

"Yes, mom, it's Chad Dylan Cooper." Sonny took her mom by the arm and dragged her to the couch so she could have a seat.

Chad smiled sheepishly as he let himself in, letting down a bunch of shopping bags beside the couch.

"You. Chad. Here. Why?" Sonny's mom was still in shock.

"Sorry about this Chad. My mom's a closet Falls fan." Sonny covered her face, ashamed.

"Is that right Mrs. Monroe? Glad to hear that at least one of the Monroe's has good taste." Chad said jokingly.

Connie blushed and smiled.

"Mom, you do know he just took a jab at my taste right?" Sonny asked, hands on her hips, expecting her mother to do something. "Mom!?"

"Oh Chad Dylan-"

That was it. No way was Sonny letting her mother gawk over Chad Dylan Cooper of all people.

"Mom, don't you have a meeting to get to?" Sonny said with an implying tone as she set aside the shopping bags.

"Oh snicker doodles. Thanks for reminding me Hun." Getting off the couch, Connie made a run for her bag and gave her daughter a quick peck on the head before heading off. "Allison Monroe, you have a lot of explaining to do when I get back."

Shutting the door tight behind her, Connie Monroe left the apartment, leaving the two teenagers to ponder what had just happened.

"Well that was the most embarrassing moment of my life." Sonny plopped down on the couch and kicked her shoes off.

"All parents are embarrassing _Allison_." Chad laughed as he took his seat beside her, pulling her legs up onto his lap as he gave her a much needed foot rub.

Sonny would have kicked him in the face if she weren't so tired.

The two had gone on an impromptu shopping trip in preparation for Sonny's date and Chad did not give Sonny a moment of ease. If you thought Tawni was an extreme shopper, you were wrong. Nobody spelled _extreme_ _shopper_ like Chad Dylan Cooper did.

In a matter of two hours, Chad had put together three potential ensembles which Sonny could mix and match to suit her mood for the date. If Chad wasn't an actor, he'd be a heck of a stylist.

"Mmmm Chad, that feels so good." Sonny let her head fall back into the arm of the couch as she shut her eyes. Sonny Monroe would never know how her low hum which bordered a moan affected the conceited actor so. He set down her feet and scooted to the opposite side of the couch to prevent her from ever knowing. It was ridiculous how much she affected him.

Sonny sat up to see why the actor had stopped his ministrations, to see him rubbing his temples vigorously. "Does your head hurt Chad?"

Chad looked up at the actress, concern now painted on her face. "Oh, I fine. Just having a sudden sensory overload. Must be all the flowers in here." He tried to guise his embarrassed disposition with a laugh.

Sonny looked around. She really should have left the flowers at the studio. The smell which coated her apartment was overwhelming. "Sorry about that." She frowned. "Your face is all red. You sure you're not coming down with something?"

Sonny sat herself closer to Chad, placing her hand on his forehead to check his temperature. Her proximity was unnerving.

Chad stood up. "I'm fine, really. How about we fix up some popcorn and get to that movie?" He straightened out his shirt and adjusted his trousers for good measure.

"Uh, sure. I left the last two bags where you left them." Sonny reached out for Chad's DVD case which lay on the coffee table. "Do you mind watching Lion King today? I'm so up for a feel-good Disney movie."

Sonny's face had a childish glow to it as she asked, and Chad couldn't say no, despite having watched the movie practically a million times with his family. "Sure, I'll go take care of the popcorn."

Sonny turned on the TV to see the latest Entertainment news flash across her screen. The words flashed in bold caught her attention.

**Chad's new catch!?**

Sonny turned up the volume. "Chad, since when were you and Portlyn public?" She asked Chad who was busying himself in the kitchen.

Chad popped his head out the door to see what Sonny was talking about.

"Oh crap, they actually aired the story." Chad came out with two cans of soda in hand. "I didn't think Santiago was serious when he said it would make primetime news. This is a disaster."

Sonny looked up at the actor and gestured for him to take a seat. Taking one can of soda from the blonde, she turned back to the TV to see if Santiago had gotten any of the intimate details of the now debuted couple's relationship.

"They're blowing the whole thing out of proportion." Chad said, annoyed, stretching his arms out across the couch head and crossing his leg.

"You don't seem so concerned though." Sonny turned to him as she took a sip of her soda. "Maybe this is a good thing. It'll give more of an incentive to be a good boy." She smiled and gave him a pat on the head.

"Tss, Chad Dylan Cooper cannot be tamed by the media." Chad swatted her hand off his hair.

Sonny shrugged. "I bet Portlyn's happy about this."

"Oh you have no idea." Chad took a sip of his drink to stop himself from going off about how Portlyn blew her top off. "Now stop watching this crap and put the DVD on."

Sonny laughed at his impatience. "Yes, boss."

Just as Sonny inserted the DVD into the player, the lights went out and the TV screen flickered into black nothingness.

"There go the lights." Sonny stiffened.

"There goes our popcorn." Chad turned his head back. The popping had stopped.

"There goes our movie." Sonny pouted amidst the darkness.

Chad couldn't help but laugh at their situation. The power was out and Sonny's apartment was pitch-black. There was half-popped popcorn in the microwave and there Sonny was, pouting as if it was the end of the world.

Using what light his eyes could register in the darkness, Chad got up and carefully made his way into Sonny's room.

"Chad!? Where are you going!? What're you doing in my room!?" Sonny had half the heart to run after him, but didn't trust her eyesight to lead her past the now pitch-black room.

"Relax Sonny, I saw some candles in your bathroom cupboard when I was digging around for hair product." Chad snickered as he raided her closet, feeling his way for some candles. "Do you have a lighter or a match in here somewhere?" He shouted from her room.

"I think I saw some matches in the kitchen. I'll go look." Sonny stood up and started making her way blindly into the kitchen. Halfway there she tripped on a stray shopping bag and fell, taking a lampstand with her.

Chad ran out her room to make out a blurry vision of the actress struggling to untangle herself from the mess of wires she was now in. He couldn't help but laugh. He took out his cell phone and used its backlight as a makeshift flashlight as he helped the actress back to her feet.

"Why didn't you use that thing earlier?" Sonny scolded him, dusting her pants off. She grabbed the phone from him as she dug through the drawers for some matches. Finding some, she lighted the candles that Chad had laid out in strategic places.

Once the candles were lit the two stars gaped at the room around them. The candles lit the room perfectly, accenting the flowers perfectly. It almost looked like a scene from a fairytale.

"Woah. It's beautiful." Sonny breathed.

Chad turned to look at her and his breath hitched. The candles caught her features perfectly, the lighting making her seem like she was glowing angel. She turned to him and smiled.

"Yeah, beautiful."

Sonny made her way back to the couch and sat down. "So-"

Chad sat on the floor in front of her, head between her legs. He sat there, leaning his head against her leg. "What now?"

Sonny placed her hands on the actor's head and played with his hair. "Your hair's sorta tickling my knees."

Chad looked up at the brunette, a devious smirk painted on his face. He grabbed the hand that was on his head and pulled the actress down onto the floor with him.

"Chad! What gives!?" She laughed out as a tickle fight ensued between them.

Sonny pulled the actor down so she was straddling him. "No more little miss sunshine." She said tauntingly, making a lunge for Chad's sides.

Chad's laughing was uncontrollable. "Uncle! Uncle!" He screamed out, wanting her to stop.

Sonny got up as soon as she realized the position she was in. Chad didn't seem to mind. Following in suit, they both plopped back down on the couch, breathless.

"That killed three minutes. Now what?" Chad teased.

Sonny thought for a moment when it hit her. Wide-eyed in excitement, she jumped in her seat, giddy.

"How about we play Never Have I Ever?" She asked, practically clapping in excitement.

Chad cocked a brow at her. He'd never heard of such a game.

"Don't tell me you've never played Never Have I Ever." She punched him playfully.

"Ow, don't punish me just because I don't entertain myself with juvenile icebreakers." He rubbed his arm, faking pain.

"It's perfect! I really don't know anything about you Chad, and you've practically saved me twice. This way we can get to know each other better!" She smiled warmly. "We start with three points each. Basically each round begins with _Never have I ever…_ And you complete the thought. If the person you tell that to has done whatever you said, he loses a point. If he hasn't, then you lose a point. The first one to lose all the points well, loses." Sonny looked at Chad expectantly.

"That is the most stupid thing I've ever heard." Chad said, trying to keep in a laugh. Sonny pouted. "But I guess it beats sitting here doing nothing."

Sonny smiled readjusted her position so both her legs were crouched up on the couch.

"What does the loser have to do?" Chad said, making himself comfortable with the throw pillows on the couch. "If we're playing this, it has to be more exciting."

Sonny paused for a thought. "Do we have to?"

"Yes, we have to." Chad threw a pillow at her. "How about the loser has to do one dare."

Retrieving the pillow which bounced right off her face, Sonny thought a moment and agreed. "Fine, but the dares should be within reason."

"Whatever Monroe. Just prepare go _down._" Chad smirked.

"I'll go first." Sonny announced, three fingers now held up to her score, "Never have I ever… eaten a bug."

"That's no fun, I doubt anybody in their right mind would eat a bug anyway." Chad said, disappointed. "You just wasted a turn and you lose a point."

Sonny stuck her tongue out at him and withdrew a finger, leaving only two up. She leaned back in her seat, waiting for Chad to come up with something.

"Never have I ever… Watched an episode of So Random." Chad smirked.

"THAT'S A LIE!" Sonny jumped from her seat, pointing at him accusingly. "You told me that night! You said you were watching my show when you remembered that you _ditched_ me!"

"Fine, fine, I watched an episode of So Random. I'll pick something else."

"Oh no you don't, Chad Dylan Cooper. Just for lying you _lose_ a point." Sonny crossed her arms, demandingly.

"You've got to be kidding me." Chad said exasperated, "How do I know if you're not lying yourself?"

"I have no reason to." Sonny answered confidently.

Chad sat back down, defeated. "Fine, I guess it's your turn now." Sonny clapped, triumphant. "But no stupid things like never wearing toe socks."

Sonny frowned. "Fine."

Chad waited for Sonny to come up with something, whilst thinking for his next turn. What had he never done that Sonny surely had? He could just say something biologically impossible for a male to do but that would be pushing the rules. He glanced back at Sonny, who was thinking intently on what she was about to say.

"Never have I ever seen someone of the opposite sex naked." Sonny smiled a tentative smile.

Chad just stared.

"Uh well, I –"

"CHAD!" Sonny gasped, "You've seen a naked girl!?" She seemed truly surprised.

"I'm a guy Sonny! I have needs!" Chad defended himself.

Sonny laughed. "I knew it. You're a guy after all."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" He teased.

"Hey, you're the one with the adult movie in his DVD case." Sonny raised her hand in defense. "You seem like the type of guy who hides dirty magazines under his bed." Sonny bit back a laugh. "I, however, am a good girl."

Chad stood up, "Well we're going to have to change that now, huh?" He wore a mischievous smile as he started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Ch-chad, what are you doing?" Sonny asked nervously backing herself up from the couch.

"It's hot; the AC hasn't been running for awhile." He threw his shirt off and sat back down. "Now what you said is only half true. You lose half a point."

Chad smirked as Sonny bent half of a finger down, defeated. Sonny avoided gazing Chad's perfectly sculpted chest, or at least tried to. "Your turn, Cooper."

Chad smiled at the childishness of the girl in front of him. He took a serious tone as he began his turn and thought deeply about what he was about to say. "Never have I ever fallen in love."

He looked up at Sonny to see her reaction. A sad look had replaced her bashful countenance as she pulled down another finger. "I have, I guess." Sonny sighed.

Chad winced inwardly.

"I think it was a year before I joined So Random." Sonny wore a sad smile.

"What happened?" Chad blurted out without thinking.

"I guess he just got tired of me." She let out a breath, "No biggy."

_Silence._

"I'm sorry." Was all Chad could say.

"It's nothing." Sonny sat up, shaking the atmosphere off, "It's my turn now, and you only have a point left Chad."

"Hey, you only have half a point left. The odds are still more or less even."

"Humph." Sonny arranged her posture and breathed in before she let out her confession. "Never have I ever kissed a boy." She said it so confidently Chad burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Sonny asked, anger rising. "I'm sure you've kissed someone before Chad. I saw you kiss Portlyn. And you kissed Janine!"

Chad couldn't stop laughing. "Sonny, you said you never kissed _a boy_." Chad was in tears by now. "I may have kissed a pig, but I'm pretty sure I've never kissed a boy in my life."

Sonny's eyes widened in realization.

"You lose Monroe." Chad barely regained his composure as Sonny started smacking herself on the head.

"How the heck did I not see that!?" She scolded herself.

Chad held her hand back before she went in for another smack on the head. "So you've never kissed a boy Monroe?"

Sonny looked up to see Chad's face right in front of hers, a smile no longer inhabiting it. His gaze was piercing and the time she spent avoiding glances at his half-naked figure was in vain because at that moment, nothing could stop her from taking in the whole of Chad Dylan Cooper.

The flickering candlelight highlighted his sculpted musculature as he drew closer to her, her wrist still held firmly in his hand.

"Tell you what, I'll give you a break. I'll go for one more turn, and then you tell me if you still lose." Chad's voice was husky and labored as he leaned in closer, his nose grazing Sonny's ear as he whispered.

"Shoot." Sonny breathed, her voice hitching at his proximity.

He drew his face back and leaned it in so his forehead rested on hers, exchanging heat from the contact. His breath against her skin made her anxious.

"Never." Chad released her wrist, letting it fall limply against her side.

"Have I ever." He raised his hand to caress the side of her cheek gently.

"Wanted to kiss someone in front of me." He pulled her against him, needy for contact.

"As bad as I do now." Chad's eyes pierced into hers, azure to her russet depths. "Who loses?"

"I-I lose." Sonny wrapped her hands around his neck bringing his face closer. Noses barely touching Chad smirked.

"Then I dare you to kiss me, Monroe."

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**I'm noticing my chapters get longer and longer. I have no idea why.**

**Either way the next chapter's going to be steamy :D And it's also going to include a bonus chapter involving Chad, Sonny and a little Tawni and Josh spying, so watch out for that one.**

**Sorry to leave you with this cliffie, but how else will I keep you reading?**

**Tell me what you guys think. **

**And btw, sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors. Didn't have time to beta this one. Go ahead and point out any you see, so I can correct them here on fanfiction.**

**Read, Review and Recommend!**

**-AnotherDarnApple**


	8. Chapter 8 & Bonus Chapter 2

**Sorry for the really long delay. I've been plagued with graduation practice and I've been pretty busy lately. I know you're all probably leering for the continuation of the last chapter so I'm not going to go on ranting. On to the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own SWAC. If I did, Sonny Get your Goat would never have happened. (Srsly, wtf?)**

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"I-I don't know how." Her expression was of pure virtue, and to Chad, it seemed almost a sin to corrupt it with what he was going to do next.

"Just show me what you got."

For some reason, unknown even to her, she trusted him. She trusted him enough to know he wouldn't take advantage of her, trusted him enough to believe it was the friendly thing to do.

Sonny pulled him down a feather-light kiss. The sensation was like a burning fuse, slow and trickling, but leading to a potentially lethal explosion of emotion. It was enough to take Chad Dylan Cooper's breath away. Chad lingered, trailing her soft kiss with many of his own.

Eyes shut in a gentle allure, the couple lay down on the couch, barely being able to support themselves amidst the flurry of hormones.

Sonny raised her hand, unsure as to what to do. What _did _girls do with their hands when guys kissed them? She was too embarrassed to move.

Chad ceased his ministrations to capture her gaze, transfixed by the confused expression on her face. He traced the outline of her jaw gently. "What's wrong?"

"I- I just don't know what to-" Chad sealed her lips with a touch from his thumb, silencing her.

"Think of this as practice. For future reference." He replaced his thumb with his lips, savoring the feeling of her lips against his. "You'll thank me later, inexperienced one." He smiled as he felt Sonny lean into the kiss.

"You place your hand on the back of his neck, gently, but firmly." He took her hand in his and raised it to his nape. "You pull him down, you make him want to kiss you." The inexperienced Sonny complied.

He brought lips to her ear, breath ragged and strained. "He'll whisper sweet nothings."

Sonny's breath hitched.

"It'll make you want to kiss him, but you have to make him work for it." Chad leaned back to study Sonny's expression. A look of determination mixed with an unknown emotion layered her porcelain countenance.

"Like this?" She trailed her fingers along the sharp contour of his face, leaving burning sensations as her touch left. Chad's brows furrowed.

"Yeah, exactly." He had to take control of his emotions. He was being schooled by the immaculate mother of Condor Studios.

"You capture his lips in yours, soft kisses, firm ones. Don't do the expected. Don't be predictable. Leave him wanting mo-" Sonny didn't let him speak another word. She did as she was told, planting soft kisses on his lips, pulling him closer, crashing them down, grazing them ever so lightly with her teeth. Chad shivered at her beginner's prowess.

Two could play this game.

He trailed his tongue against her lips soliciting a gasp from the unprepared pupil, granting him the permission he was dying to have. Sonny moaned into the kiss, the vibrations echoing her need in the most enticing way possible.

Sonny's hand hiked up Chad's nape, resting itself firmly on the back of his head. She wrung her fingers around his soft hair, pulling him closer. Chad's hands had found their way down Sonny's back, resting right on her waist.

Kissing Sonny Monroe was his release – a sensation never felt before. Slowly, the fuse ignited as it drew closer to the inevitable bang. Her soft lips on his fit more perfectly than any girl he had kissed. Her taste, her smell, her everything, it was perfect. And then he realized –

He had lost the game.

He had lost even way before Sonny had committed the dense mistake of saying she had never kissed a boy. He had lost when he had lied, downright lied, not about watching an episode of So Random, but everything else – his feelings, the denial, everything. He had fallen in love. He was in love. From the very beginning. The realization hit him hard, deer-caught-in-headlights hard.

The feelings were overwhelming him. Chad pulled away at once.

"Wow." Sonny breathed, barely able to sit up.

"Uh, yeah. Wow." Chad could only agree. He was still bothered by his sudden realization. "You sure you've never kissed a guy before Sonny?" Chad laughed, trying to push away the feelings.

Sonny smiled. "Never in my life, but that was good practice." She looked down to the floor, touching her lips with her fingers. The impression of Chad's lips on hers still lingered. She sat up and turned her eyes to the actor, whose eyes were now clouded with emotion. "Thanks Chad."

Chad snapped out of his brief zone-out and turned to her with a small smile. "For what?" Hope had filled his heart. Had she realized she loved him as well?

"If there was anybody in the world I'd want to learn this from, it'd be you." She smiled her genuine, blameless smile, "You're a great teacher."

Chad's smile faded. "That was your first kiss, right? You're not mad that you didn't get to share it with Nico?" He was digging for any semblance of faith left.

Sonny leaned back. "Nico's already had his first kiss." She grabbed a pillow and pulled it close to her. "And my mom always said that a first kiss is when you want it to be. When I find someone I love, and share that special moment with him, then that'll be my first kiss."

That stung.

"At least I know I won't be disappointing Nico, right?" She smiled and laughed playfully.

Chad couldn't laugh along with her.

"Is he the one you love?" He didn't turn to look at her as he asked; his gaze was lost in another dimension.

"I don't know yet." Sonny smiled sadly. "I'll find out soon, hopefully. Hopefully I won't have to search for long."

"Sonny?" Fueled with new purpose, he leaned back into the sofa, playing with his fingers. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"Will you stop stealing my lines?" Chad laughed.

Chad had just realized probably the deepest feelings he had harbored for anybody, and that was reason enough to thank the clueless brunette. "Just because."

Sonny laughed at his vagueness. "We should do this more often."

Chad raised his brow, surprised. "Are you serious? You're take- We're both taken." He had to remember he was still playing a role.

"Well, maybe we can hike up our relationship status to friends with benefits then." Sonny's smile widened, "If I'm going to survive the dating scene, I'm going to need all the help I can get."

Chad thought deeply before he replied. She was asking him to stretch the boundaries of friendship, to live a life of secrecy, to toy with his own emotions, to potentially get himself hurt.

He looked up at her. For her, he'd do anything. "When's the next class then?" They both laughed.

Right then and there the lights flickered back to life, the sound of the microwave very well confirming the power was back. The TV had turned back on, the same station playing out its latest featurette on Nico's grand proposal.

Chad stared at the screen. Nico may still be her boyfriend, but he didn't have what he had with Sonny. He was far more determined to change the course of the future.

"I can't believe they're still airing that." Sonny stood up to salvage the popcorn lying limply in the microwave.

"They'll get tired of it soon enough." Chad encouraged. "Still up for that movie?"

Sonny popped her head out of the kitchen door. "You betcha."

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**This is still T-rated, right? :D**

**So that was a short chapter because in the previous chapter I mentioned there'd be a bonus chapter on this one, and I wasn't lying. It's not very plot related, but at the same time it's sort of supplementary to what's going to happen in the future. If you're still a little bit on edge you can satisfy your little urges with the Bonus Chapter, if you aren't then you don't have to force yourselves. If you're stopping here, leave a comment about what you thought of the steamy chapter. :D**

**Additional notes: I have a few ideas for some new fanfics, a one-shot and a mult-chapter Alternate Universe type fanfiction. A lot of people aren't really into alternate universe fics for SWAC, but I'm hoping to change your minds with my fic (I'm very adept at writing AU fics, so you won't be disappointed). Don't worry; they're still going be in character. I have almost everything planned out.**

**Without further delay, Bonus Chapter 2**

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**Tawni and Josh: Undercover**

Chad and Sonny had left the studio at exactly o-fourteen-hundred hours on CDC's infamous black convertible and Tawni and Josh were hot on their trail, If by hot on their trail you mean trailing very far behind in Josh's beat-up old hippy van.

"I can't believe I'm letting you drive me in public in this beat up old hearse." Tawni was sanitizing her seat with spray sanitizer, covering her nose as the back seats smelled strongly of dead squirrel carcass.

"Don't talk about Lizzy like that, she's had a tough day." Josh frowned as stroked his dashboard lovingly.

"You named your van _Lizzy_?" Tawni looked at him, disgusted, "That is so _tacky_. At least name her something suitable like _beat up old hag._"

Josh glared at her as Lizzy spat up a large cloud of black smoke out her muffler before it sputtered into a pitiful stop along a deserted boulevard.

"She heard you."

"Oh shut up, we're walking from here." Tawni got out, taking her purse and clutching it tightly against her, shifting her eyes to check if someone was out to mug her.

"We can't just leave her out here!" Josh got out around back to check the damage.

"I'll call the towing service. It's not that big of a deal." Tawni shrugged as she made her way the sidewalk.

"How are we going to follow them now? We don't even know where they are." Josh sat down on the curb, lamenting the death of the only thing he called a friend.

"I'm tracking Sonny on her cell, duh." Tawni flashed her phone at the poor boy, "It's called the twenty-first century, ever tried living in it?"

"You and you're snooty rich gadget-y things. You're better off at The Falls." Josh scoffed as he got up to look at the tracker.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear you." Tawni traced her fingers along her touch screen, calculating Sonny's coordinates. "They're only a few blocks from here. We can still catch them. Come on!"

She pulled the mumbling boy by the shirt collar as if he were an accessory. He followed sheepishly, bidding his van goodbye.

They made their way down a few blocks before realizing where they were. "_Rodeo Drive!?_" Tawni looked around her, taking in the rich and posh atmosphere around her. "Why the heck would they be going to Rodeo Drive!?"

"Wow." Josh breathed as a woman who seemed to be a model walked past him.

"I can't believe Sonny went shopping without me." Tawni pouted.

"I thought you were mad at her." Josh popped up behind her, causing the blonde to jump in surprise.

"I am! And now that I've found out she's on a shopping spree with Pooper I'm even madder!" She stomped her high heels against the hard pavement.

"Woah now, we're not sure if they're here for shopping at all, Ms. Hart" Josh tried to calm her down.

"It's _Rodeo Drive_ Josh, what else would they be here for?" Tawni scanned her app once more to see where they were exactly. "They should be here somewhe-"

She spotted them leaving a shop. Ducking behind a blue pickup, she pulled the clueless mail boy down with her in effort to remain incognito.

"I see them." Tawni narrowed her eyes at the two. You could hardly recognize them; they were clad heavily in clothes they wouldn't usually be caught wearing and darkly tinted shades. Sonny skipped happily along the street as Chad smiled along with her, carrying with him bags from the store they had just left. "Why are they dressed like that?"

"Uh, I think I know." Josh tugged on her sleeve as he stared at hoard of paparazzi and fans behind them.

"Ms. Tawni Hart?" A photographer asked quite timidly, suppressing the urge to just maul them. They looked like they were about to pounce.

Tawni bounced up to life and waved sweetly. "My fans!"

"Tawni, I don't think that's such a good ide-" Before Josh could get another word out the paparazzi errupted into a frenzy of flashes and a mix of oddly shallow and deeply personal questions.

"Ms. Hart! We heard you go shooting poor little furry animals to cater to your wardrobe! What's your take on this?"

"Ms. Hart, who's the new man!?"

"Tawni, what's your favorite brand of underwear?"

"Ms. Hart, what's your natural hair color!?"

"Ms. Hart, is it true? Did you really used to be a man?"

The questions were unending as the paparazzi got closer than they needed to be.

"Personal bubble!" The rabid mass of paparazzi drowned out her screams as it engulfed her. She began reciting her last words out loud, only to be pulled abruptly out of the crowd by a clammy hand.

"Tawni! Run!" Josh pulled her out of the frenzied mob and urged her to start running. They left the rabid photographers, confused in their own little abyss.

They ran, and ran, and ran some more. For someone so pudgy, Josh seemed to do pretty well with cardio.

It was almost half an hour before they decided they were safe. They took refuge in an empty convenience store. Josh took the liberty of sifting through the cheap glasses on a rack as Tawni sat herself down on a side table.

Tawni was out of breath and somewhere along the way she had lost one of her heels. "I can't believe you made me run like that! How _could _you?"

"Hey, I'm not the one dense enough not to wear a disguise before she goes in public. You should be _thanking _me for even getting you out of that mess." Josh defended himself. He held out a pair of sunglasses to the perspiring actress. "Here, put these on."

"Tawni Hart does _not_ wear dollar shades." She turned away from him defiantly and crossed her legs, adamant.

"Well, unless you can cough up a few hundred bucks and we take a trip to the nearest Oakley store, you'll have to deal with this." He pushed them against her and she held them as they were drenched in radioactive muck.

"Ick. I'll just have my personal stylist come over and bring me a pair of my own, thank you." She turned around to fumble for her purse, only to find it missing. "My purse! M-my cell! My Coco Moco Coco!"

Tawni sobbed.

"H-hey." Josh prodded her on the shoulder as tears boarded the rim of her eyes. A prod or two later the water show had begun. "Will you stop it already?"

"Nothing's going to bring my Coco Moco Coco back." The tears continued flowing.

Josh fumbled in his pocket for something. Tawni guised her interest with a few sniffles and sobs. He took out something which looked to be a beat up tube or cylinder.

"Here." He held the tube in front of her. "Take it."

"What is it?" Tawni sniffed as she took a tentative look at the old-looking tube.

"It's your Coco Moco Coco. It's a few months old but it'll do." Josh looked around the store, trying to seem disinterested.

Tawni grabbed the tube and examined it. She recognized the scratched-up label. Eyes wide in realization, she held it against her cheek, caressing it tenderly. "Where did you get this? It's even in its old packaging!"

"I-I I took it from your dressing room a few months ago." He looked down, guilt-filled and bashful.

Tawni eyed him pointedly. "Why?"

"I just thought I'd grab a memento of you is all." He started fumbling with his fingers. No way was he admitting that he had a crush on her from the start. It was really the only reason he had given his consent to something as crazy as stalking her best friend.

"Clepto." Tawni taunted.

Josh frowned and sat down, defeated. He knew she was a diva, but her anger was somewhat warranted. He _was_ borederlining creepy stalker dude.

"But thanks." Tawni smiled as she reapplied her lipstick and modeled it to her accomplice. "How do I look?"

"Perfect." Josh said lamely, still a bit hurt at her allegation. All the hurt in the world would not have prepared him for what was to come, because right at that moment, Tawni Hart had given him his first kiss.

On the cheek.

The light mauve tint of her lipstick stained his cheek as he held his hand up to touch the patch of skin the comedienne's lips had just left.

"Perfect." Tawni smiled as she finished off her ice cream and kicked her legs childishly.

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**So, what did you guys think? Leave me some reviews :D And watch out for my new one-shot and multi-chapter, coming soon :D**

**-AnotherDarnApple**


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